


Jessica Jones Hunger Games AU

by MarikaFromCincy



Series: Jessica Jones Hunger Games AU [1]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Jessica Jones (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-03 18:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5302013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarikaFromCincy/pseuds/MarikaFromCincy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessica knew she could the win the games on her own, but of course her best friend couldn't let it be that easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching Mockingjay and thinking about Jessica Jones the other night and then this happened.

_Well fuck this shit_ , Jessica Jones thought to herself as her name rang out over the gallery in front of the District 12 justice building.

She pushed the kids around her out of the way as she walked toward the stage. She was 18, had been attending the reaping for six years. She had never heard someone walk onto the stage with silence around them. Usually at least a parent was calling out and sobbing. But she only had one parent who couldn't care less about her going off to die.

Jessica felt the same level of disgust about Pam whatever as she stood beside as she had the six previous years she saw her on that stage and all the years she watched her on tv.

_Fucking Capital asshole._

The raven haired girl sneered at the Capital asshole. Pam heavily sighed and walked over to the bowl of boys' names. She picked one out, went to the microphone and read off the name.

"Ruben Rollins," Pam called out.

Jessica heard pained screaming from what sounded like parents and a young girl. She expected the baby-faced boy she barely knew from school to walk out of the crowd.

"I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute," someone yelled.

_Oh fuck no._

Everyone was looking around, trying to see who had yelled it. There was a strange look on most of the residents' faces. They knew that voice from somewhere. They all just seemed unable to place it.

The volunteer walked out from the girls' side of the possible tributes into the aisle.

 _No, no, fuck no_ , Jessica thought to herself as she shook her head at her. She half expected her to ignore her and continue walking to the stage.

By the time she reached the stairs, everyone was in a tizzy. They all recognized her now. Some people had even started yelling, 'Patsy Walker' in strained voiced.

"Trish," Jess barely uttered as she took her place on Pam's other side.

The Capital asshole didn't even have to ask for her name. She just announced. Usually girls couldn't volunteer for boys but she was too big of a star for Pam to make that call. It was just too good of a television opportunity to pass up.

Pam knew who she was. Every in District 12 did and the same went for most of Panem. District 12 had one theater and it's one and only ever star was Patsy Walker. She even got featured on a few Capital television shows when they needed someone to represent District 12. She had made a handful of TV movies. She was the go-to District 12 actor. That was how everyone saw her.

But, not Jessica Jones. She glared across the stage at her. She wasn't just an acting star to her. She was her best friend, the girl she had grown up with and the only person who ever cared about her.

Jessica angrily huffed to herself. Trish wouldn't look at her. She should have figured.

Jess tried to shove off the peacekeepers as they forced her into one of the Justice Building meeting rooms. She knew it was to say goodbye to family. She wasn't expecting anyone to come for her. She thought about the other tribute in the other room who was getting a goodbye from her family. She turned angrily and punched the wall. Bits of plaster fell around her feet as she slowly removed her arm from inside the wall.

"Can't say I would have expected anything different," said Jessica's only friend who wasn't headed to the Hunger Games as he entered the room. He crossed his arms across his chest and smiled at her.

"What are you doin' here?" Jessica hissed at him.

"I ain't allowed to say goodbye?" Luke Cage shot at her.

"There's no reason to say goodbye," Jessica replied.

"You know, I would believe that. But, Patsy Walker."

"Fuck, her. She was stupid to volunteer."

"Well, you're going to do everything you can to save her. And when you do, just try not to get yourself killed too," Luke stated.

"I'm not makin' any promises."

Jessica still had her hands deep in her jacket pockets when Luke crossed the room and nearly crushed her in a hug. She reluctantly hugged him back.

"You can win. You best believe that," Luke told her.

"There is only one winner, Luke. And someone deserves it more than me," Jess said into her friend's shoulder.

Trish deserved winning much more than Jess did, but that still didn't mean she wasn't going to chew her out for stupidly volunteering when she finally got to see her. They were sent to a train next, right? She barely remembered.

 _Oh good, it is the train._

She was lead by Pam to her room on the train and left there alone, told to meet everyone in the main car in an hour.

She instantly went waking down the hall. The third door was marked "Tribute Two." She grabbed at the handle. It was locked but she quickly pushed it opened.

"Whoa! Whoa! No!" Trish yelled as she rushed off the bed, with her hands up as she backed against the wall as Jessica strode at her.

Jess stopped a few feet from the bed. She wasn't even sure what her plan was. She was angry and pissed off and terrified but she understood Trish's actions perfectly. The blonde lowered her hands to her sides and balled them into fists. She met Jessica's eyes for a moment and then looked at the floor.

"I know you are mad at me, Jess," Trish said. "But this had always been part of our plan."

"Fuck, Trish. No it hasn't been. I was going to volunteer if you ever got called."

"I know, but I wasn't fast enough to volunteer for you."

"So for fucking Ruben?"

Trish sighed and took a few steps toward Jessica.

"Of course not," Trish stated heavily. "You've been protecting me since we met, Jess. I saw a chance to help protect you and I took it."

"I could have handled this myself," Jessica stated angrily. "There was no reason for you--for you to risk yourself. Fuck, Trish. I can't-I won't loss you."

"That your strategy then," slurred a drunken woman as she slumped against the wall outside Trish's room.

"Not dying? Yeah, wouldn't that be most people's strategies?" Jessica snarked. "And who the hell are you?"

Trish had moved close enough to hit her on the arm and did. "Jeri Hogarth," Trish whispered to Jess.

"Shit, really?" Jessica replied.

Hogarth had a mixed reputation of being District 12's only living victor and a terrible drunk with an estranged wife and a long list of on-again, off-again girlfriends. She was a mess of an individual but she was also District 12's biggest star beside Patsy Walker, who--as Jess desperately saw it--was headed to her death.

"I'm your mentor," Hogarth slurred.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Jess replied.

An hour later, Jess was glaring at the woman from across the fancy table in the fancy dining car. She would be less annoyed by her not taking any of it seriously, hell she would have enjoyed it, if Trish wasn't seated beside her.

From how much she was shaking and fidgeting, Jess figured Trish only then had felt the extent of what she had done.

Her hand shot across and landed on Jessica's leg under the table. Jess grabbed it and let Trish squeeze as hard as she could.

Jess noticed there was a bruise on her forearm that hadn't been there when she saw her before the reaping.

If there was anything positive about their situation, Jess thought at least Trish was away from her mom.

"We're going to die because of me. I'm going to get us killed. Why didn't I just let you go?" Trish asked desperately as their eyes met.

"Had to be the hero," Jess replied.

Trish sighed and smiled. Jess knew the look on her face. She was planning on leaning in and kissing her. Jess wanted to forget about where they were and all the secrets they were going to have to kept and just let her kiss her.

It would only be the fifth time, not like Jess was counting or anything. The first had been three weeks ago, Trish's mom had been out for most of the night. They were lying on the hill in the backyard. Trish had wanted to watch the stars. Jess was just tried but she didn't want to go to sleep since they had the chance to be alone and safe together.

Jess felt another set of eyes on her and looked across the table. Hogarth had a raised eyebrow and an interested smirk on her face.

"The fuck you looking at?" Jess shot at her.

"Manners, Miss Jones," Pam said from the head of the table.

"Cause that's important right now," Jess shot back.

"Don't bother with this one, Pam. It will just be a waste of time," Hogarth said over her whiskey glass.

"What do you mean?" Trish asked sounding slightly offended.

"They don't need to make me nice and likable that is what you're for," Jess stated.

Hogarth smirked at her again. She was on the fence about Hogarth before, now she was sure she didn't like her.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt you to try and be nice," Pam added.

The train plummeted into a tunnel and then the Capital appeared outside the window. Pam was looking at them as of she was expecting to run to the window to look.

"We've been here before," Trish stated.

"Under slightly less shitty circumstances," Jess added.

Once they arrived at the Tribute Center, Pam excitedly showed them around and lead them to the top floor.

They were told to shower, change and then meet in the penthouse's living room to go over who the other tributes were and then meet their stylists.

The television was already on in the bedroom Pam said was hers. Jess was tuning out the voices as she went to the bed and flopped down but then she couldn't tune out the voices anymore.

_'Have you never met anyone from District 12?'_

Jess jumped and stood beside the bed at the sound of Trish's voice.

The clip from one of Trish's TV movies shrunk until it revealed Cesar Flickerman.

"And an exciting twist coming out of District 12. Well two actually," Cesar said

"Yes, two very exciting ones," the other guy said.

"Certainly," Cesar replied. "We have two female tributes from District 12, one being charming television star Pasty Walker."

Jess groaned as the _It's Patsy_ theme song from her movies played.

"I must say I am delighted that she will be back on our televisions soon," he added as the theme stopped.

"And by choice," the other added.

"Yes, certainly," Cesar added. "And according to her mother, Patsy couldn't bare to see her adopted sister go off alone so she volunteered for the male tribute." His words dripped with excitement and Jess felt like ripping the television off the wall.

It then cut to Trish's mom with fake tears in her eyes outside of the Justice Building in 12 talking about what a loving and caring friend her daughter was just like all the characters she portrayed.

Jess couldn't handle it anymore. She grabbed the lamp from the bedside table and winged it at the television. It smashed through the television, it's wall mount and the wall behind it. The wires buzzed and bits of glass, metal and plastic rained down onto the dresser below it.

"Oh great, another one of you," Jess heard behind her.

She turned and saw Hogarth standing in the doorway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica, with some stern help from Hogarth, begins to realize everything might be more difficult than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning into more of a crossover than an AU, in part because I wanted to find a way to weave Trish and Jessica into the Hunger Games trilogy, which will all make sense later. For right now, I just couldn't find a good Cinna replacement.

"You're from The Seam, aren't you?" Hogarth asked

Jess nervously nodded.

"Follow me."

Jessica wanted to question her but she didn't give her the chance. She was already headed down the hall to a service door Jess hadn't noticed before. She followed Hogarth through to the laundry room.

"Close the door," she instructed her.

Jess did what she said and Hogarth turned on one of the dryers.

"Why are we in here?" Jess questioned.

"It is the only room that doesn't have cameras."

Jess peered at her confused.

"Did your house in the Seam get destroyed by that chemical leak?"

"No, that factory exploded."

"Sure it did," Hogarth stated as she walked over to her.

Jess flinched backwards. Hogarth put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

"And did you get your powers after that?"

"What are you talking about?" Jess said with fake confusion. She figured it wouldn't work, Trish always teased her about how poor of an actor she was. But, hell it was worth a shot.

"You just threw a lamp through a TV, Jessica. Don't be modest now," Hogarth pointed out.

Or maybe not.

"Fine. Yeah, shortly after," Jess admitted. "Why'd you call me 'another'?"

"You are not my first tribute to have po--"

"Trish calls them gifts," Jess added.

"Wait, she knows and she volunteered?" Hogarth asked confused.

"She can be really dumb sometimes," Jess deadpanned.

Hogarth started walking away toward a shelf of towels.

"This is worse than I thought," Hogarth said as she pulled a bottle of liquor from behind the towels. She pulled off the cap, took a swig and walked back to Jess. "And you aren't the first gifted tribute I've had. That chemical leak, factory explosion, however you would like to spin it, gave numerous kids from the Seam powers."

"But, why are you the only victor?" Jess questions. "What idiots couldn't win with gifts?"

"It is not that simple," Hogarth replied. She took another swig, realizing this was going to take a lot of explaining.

"Yeah it is. I can punch my way through twenty-th-- twenty-two teenagers."

"With the whole nation watching?" Hogarth asked.

Jess grabbed the bottle from her and took a drink herself. She had only started to think about that.

"I can be discreet about it. I'll hold back."

Hogarth took the bottle back and sneered at her. "Super strength will be easier to hide than most things. You don't have any other gifts that will be harder to hide, like laser eyes or something?"

"Laser eyes? Seriously? No. I can jump and then fall gracefully-ish."

"You won't be able to use that."

"What if I need to?"

"The Capital doesn't want anyone knowing there are people like you out there, people with special skills that they didn't give and can't control."

"So that's how the others got killed? They didn't use their powers?" Jess asked.

The mentor nodded. "Or they showed them and the game maker had the arena kill them. Or the Capital took them for tests. A boy with powers in the 68th games, five years ago, died in quicksand shortly after shooting fire at another tribute. His body was never found."

Jess was feeling defeated and leaned back against the dryer. She slid down and sat with her back against it. Hogarth sat beside her and passed the bottle over to her. Jess took a drink and passed it back.

"I can do it," Jess stated.

"Avoid anymore angry outbursts and I will believe that," Hogarth replied.

Jessica snickered at her. They were silent for a while, passing the bottle back and forth.

"Trish can't die," Jess finally stated to break the silence.

"That seems unlikely."

"I'm serious. I don't need your help or protection. She does," Jess stated glaring at Hogarth. They made angry eye contact.

"Her fame might be useful for us. The nation likes her and they would be disappointed if she was killed."

"Disappointed?" Jess questioned in disgust.

Hogarth just groaned and continued. "There have not been many celebrities reaped before. I'm not sure how it will be handled."

"I don't care how those bastards handle it. I'll protect her in the arena so you do the same outside," Jess declared.

"I'll try my best, as always."

"Where did you escape to?" Trish asked Jess as she sat beside her on the couch in the main room of the penthouse.

"Nowhere," Jess mumbled and shrugged against her.

Trish was sitting in the corner of the couch with her legs beneath her. She had leaned against Jess and put her hands on her shoulder as soon as she sat down.

Pam walked past them, heading for the main door of the penthouse. She huffed in annoyance when she saw them. Jess figured it was directed at her. Trish had followed her instructions, showered and changed. Jess was still wearing basically the same outfit she had been reaped in and probably looked like she had been drinking on a laundry room floor.

"Pam had to call up maintenance to fix your television," Trish stated seeming to accuse her of something.

"Yeah, it was broken," Jess replied defensively.

"With a lamp," Trish added.

Jess peered over at her and watched the assumed smile slide across her face. Jess felt like crying, now that she knew how hard it was going to be to save her.

"I would have done the same if I had to listen to one more 'Patsy volunteered' segment."

"I'll aim the lamp at yours next time," Jess joked.

Trish laughed lightly and inched closer to her.

"I really do apologize for this," Pam stated as she lead a group of people into the main room. "I instructed both of them to change."

"No use," Hogarth grumbled to herself as she leaned against the wall, her liquor now in a fancy glass.

"We'd prefer to see their own style anyway to start us out," Cinna stated as he walked around Pam to greet them. "I am sorry that we had to meet this way, but I am honored to finally met you and work with the you again. I'm Cinna." He said looking from Jessica to Trish.

Jess was confused and looked between them.

"He did the costume design on one of my movies," Trish explained to Jess. "It is nice to see you again, Cinna."

"You too, Miss Walker."

"All right everyone, it's starting," Pam announced to the room.

Cinna and the other stylists sat on the couch. Hogarth walked over and stood behind Pam's chair.

The Panem theme finished. Jessica was glad this was the shortened version of the day's coverage. She couldn't handle listening to the creepy smiling talking heads yammer on about how exciting it all was.

It was just the videos from the reapings and then quick information about each of the tributes. It started with District 12 this time. Jess felt Trish fidget away from her as the footage of Jess walking to the stage started. Jess knew she should do something to make her feel better, but she couldn't think of what to do.

So, she just watched.

Hogarth made comments about a handful of the tributes. Jess didn't think any of them looked that intimidating except for some douche bag from District 1 with the Panem flag tattooed on his face.

"Interesting choice," Cinna commented, getting a laugh from Trish.

After the recap, everyone went to the dining room for dinner. It was more fancy glassware and fancy food and a bit of fancy alcohol. Trish barely touched the alcohol but Jess was more than happy it was there. She was also happy Trish actually ate a normal amount of it. Sure it was of all the healthy stuff, but Jess wasn't mad about that. It actually made her smile.

As the others chatted about interview outfits and possible arena layouts, Jess just kept her eyes on Trish.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Trish asked her without looking away from what appeared to be super fancy grilled tofu.

Jess nervously picked at her chicken breast for a moment.

"I-I just never get to at home," Jess stated nervously. Usually she would avoided saying anything even vaguely referencing Trish's mom if it didn't include a message to punch her in the face.

"Well we can start changing that tomorrow," Trish said with an optimistic tone as she smiled at her.

"Depends on how many asses we can kick," Jess added.

It turned out to be less than Jessica anticipated.

Some absurdly annoying alarm clock buzzed at 6:30 am the next morning. Jess restrained herself from smashing it to bits.

 _Less angry outbursts_ , she reminded herself.

She hit the off switch and groaned up at her ceiling. It was the first day of training and the first time they would get to meet the other tributes face to face.

Jess peered at the dresser in her room uncertainly. She hadn't worn any Capital clothes yet. She felt the same way as she did about the clothes Trish's mom used to buy from her: an element of control and nothing else.

Then she spotted a workout outfit hanging on her bedroom's door. Jess walked over and grabbed the black and grey spandex outfit excitedly. She pulled off the note and smiled at it.

_Sorry I couldn't make it leather - Cinna_

Jess changed into it in front of the mirror. It said District 12 down both sleeves and one pant leg. She zipped up the top almost to the top yanked the collar straight and ran her hand over the stitched "Jones" below her left collarbone.

She walked out of her room, thinking she looked good in her training uniform but then Trish walked by. Her's was nearly the same but the grey was a bright red, her collar wasn't folded over and "Patsy" was stitched in place of Jones. Her hair was pulled back tightly and the parts that were too short were sticking straight out like they always did.

For a second Jess was able to let herself be able to smile and take it in and be a bit turned on before she remembered the impending death in front of them.

Trish's eyes lite up when she saw Jess. It seemed she was thinking the same, except for possibly the last bit.

"Isn't Cinna great?" Trish asked as Jess reached her in the hallway and they continued to the elevator.

She shrugged and nodded. Trish sighed and smiled like she always did when Jess falsely disagreed with her.

They were lead to a bottom level of the Tribute Center and directed into the training room by an Avox.

"Thank you," Trish said politely as he motioned for them to exit the elevator into the room.

Jess instantly felt intimidated, apparently they had been called by district. So being 12 they were the last to arrive. Everyone was already in the middle of some kind of training but they all stopped to gawk at Patsy Walker.

"Can I fuck anyone up yet?" Jess angrily chimed at Trish.

"Let's at least be nice at the beginning," Trish replied.

She grabbed Jess' arm and lead her to the hand-to-hand combat station.

Jess smirked. "You really want to fight me?"

"Best not muck up that pretty face. Right, Patsy?" A rather built boy shot at Trish with a laugh.

Jess wouldn't have been able to place him if it hadn't been for the large, shiny 2 on his chest. A short but tough looking girl stood beside him in the same outfit.

"Want to test it, asshole?" Jess shot back.

He crossed his arms and huffed. "You're both girls that wouldn't be fair?"

"Don't worry," Jess replied. "I'll go easy on you and your friend can take on Patsy here."

Trish stifled a laugh.

"Let's roll," the 2 boy strongly replied.

"Let's roll, really?" Jess said.

She dodged his first few punches and let one land on her cheek. She then punched him on the side of the face, just hard enough to knock him out. He slumped to the ground in an pile of unconscious limbs. 

She turned anticipating to assist Trish and then realized she wasn't needed.

Trish had took the girl by the shoulders and slammed her down onto the mat so hard she lost her breath, struggled for a moment and then passed out.

"Holy shit, Trish," Jess exclaimed, trying to suppress the smile that was spreading across her face. She was somehow even more turned on than before.

"I've been taking Krav Maga, " Trish stated matter-a-factly.

Jess still gazed at her with her mouth open.

"You didn't realize I turned the guest house basement into a gym?"'Trish asked, only half surprised she hadn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess and Trish struggle to get alliance requests because Jess isn't as good at making friends, but Trish has a plan.

Training went rather well for them after that. Everybody seemed too scared to mess with them knowing Jess could knock someone out with a single punch and Patsy Walker was secretly a ninja.

Well, there was the oh so funny boy from 7 who kept singing the _It's Patsy_ theme and adding "ninja" whenever he could.

But Jess might have intentionally thrown a foam tipped spear that went wide and hit him on the head. That shut him up for a few hours.

That was on the third day but they left it out of their daily report back to Hogarth and Pam.

"Have you been making friends?" Pam asked with an accusatory tone.

"What do you think?" Jess glared at her.

Trish hit Jess in the arm. They were seated beside each other on the couch, covered in sweat in their training uniforms.

"What?" Jess asked her.

"We have," Trish told Pam who was sitting on the chair across from them.

"We aren't worried about you," said Hogarth who was pacing about with room. "I have gotten alliance requests from every tribute."

"That is good, right?" Trish asked.

"Would be better if any of them wanted Jessica too," Hogarth replied.

Jess groaned, crossed her arms over her chest and sunk into the couch.

"Well why not?" Trish pried.

Jess raised an eyebrow at Trish. She couldn't figure out if she was just being nice or if she really didn't see that everyone liked her and Jess was always just the afterthought. Once they learned to tolerate that they came together, they might start to like her too.

Or at least that was how Jess saw it.

"Manners are very important," Pam chimed in.

Hogarth rolled her eyes at her. "You knocked out a career with a single punch. You're too intimidating."

"Me? Not It's Patsy Ninja?" Jess shot back.

"Hey!" Trish replied, turning to Jess. She looked annoyed for a moment and then smiled. "But this is probably the same thing as always."

"Explain," Hogarth instructed.

"People feel like they know me," Trish began.

She had explained all this to Jess before. It was why they could barely go anywhere in 12 without someone striking up a conversation with Trish. Trish had a knack for being kind and talkative with anyone. Jess usually just sat their quietly until the fans said something out of line and she was forced to threaten them.

"And they have reasons to like me before I ever meet them. We just need to give them a reason to like Jess too," Trish said. 

Hogarth put her hands on her hips and smiled at her.

"You are a smart girl, except for getting yourself into this situation," Hogarth stated.

"I had my reasons for that," Trish replied.

"I'd like to hear about them," Hogarth smirked.

"Maybe some other time, dear," Pam stated.

"Yeah, don't we have a fancy as all fuck meal to prepare for?" Jess stated quickly as she jumped off the couch and headed for her room.

"Language, Miss Jones. But, yes. Please shower this time," Pam instructed as she followed her out.

Hogarth was still glaring quizzically at Trish, who peered up at her innocently.

"Meet me on the balcony after everyone is asleep," Hogarth told her. "I want to talk strategy with you."

"Without Jess?" Trish nodded.

"That a problem?"

Trish shook her head. "No, I don't want her there."

"Smart girl," Hogarth grinned as she headed out.

Trish was left alone. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes for a moment. She reached to bat something off her face and then got a strand of raven hair left behind on the couch tangled in her hand. She pulled it off and held it. She sadly smiled at it for a moment.

Then she threw it aside and headed for her shower.

Jess tried to follow what Trish had said. She needed to give the other tributes a reason to like her too. Or maybe just to not be afraid of her. Though she didn't want to, on the last day of training Jess told Trish that they should train apart.

Trish smiled and agreed. She then went over to the fire building station. Jess stood in the middle of the training room floor for a moment.

_That was her acting smile. Why the fuck is she lying to me?_

Jess tried to shake it off and went to the station that was nothing more than a bunch of electronic flash cards about poisoned plants. It wasn't something Jess was too worried about. Trish had mastered the station a few days ago and it's not like they were going to spend any time apart in the arena.

But the skinny kid from 11 with the crazy hair was there. She had noticed him smiling when she knocked out that career and again when she hit the comedian from 7 with that spear.

If she was going to make a friend, he seemed like her best chance.

Jess stood beside him and started going through the flash cards. She failed the first three and each time it made a muffled buzzer noise.

"Yeah, I'm no good at this either," the boy from 11 said.

"Fighting is easy," Jess grumbled.

"So is hiding in trees," he added.

"You won't be able to do that forever though," Jess stated. She wasn't trying to sound threatening but it did.

The boy just laughed. "You and It's Patsy Ninja looking for a third wheel?"

Jess peered over at her. "You interested?"

"Be stupid not to be," he replied.

"Cool," she said with a slow nod. "I'll let our mentor know."

The boy grinned. "I'm Malcolm by the way."

"Jessica."

"Yeah, I know."

"Right."

After some more failed plant identification with Malcolm, Jess moved onto the weapons station. That one was much easier. Beating the shit out of dummies with different weapons. She was good at that.

Hogarth had been telling her to hold back. She didn't want her or Trish showing their full strength before the test tomorrow. Jess couldn't show full strength at all. But, she might have forgot some of those warnings as she watched the creepy, head game maker in his purple suit gawking at Trish as he always did.

She pretty much torn the dummy to shreds with the blunted machete.

"Fuck," she said under her breathe as a chunk of it fell to the floor. She turned around to grab another weapon and saw the boy from 1, who she and Trish were calling Tattoo Face, staring at her.

She glared at him. But he just keep staring at her with his giant arms crossed over his chest. Jess had to stop herself from laughing. While everyone else had long or short sleeved, regular sized training shirts, Tattoo Face's was sleeveless and so tight it was a miracle he hadn't torn it yet.

 _"Destroy the shirt, destroy the competition!"_ Trish kept saying at random moments in the penthouse in the lowest voice she could do.

Usually it was when Pam was pleading with them to be serious, but Jess would be too busy laughing. She swore Hogarth laughed a few times too.

"Can I help you with something?" Jess hissed at him.

"You good with that," he said.

"Observant," Jess snarked.

"Yeah," he replied seemingly confused.

"Dropped one too many dumbbells on your head, beefcake?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I never drop. I can lift anything," he said through a cocky grin.

"Anything, really?" Jess said sarcastically.

"Yeah," he replied, appearing to not understand sarcasm. "Want to go see?" He motioned to the rack of weights at the nearby lifting station.

Jess shook her head. "I wouldn't be impressed."

"Why that?"

"I can lift more."

He chuckled. "Really, little girl? 'Cause Patsy Ninja is more built than you."

Jess had been so close to letting it go, but they way he said it was just too god damn perverted.

"Fine, douche bag. Let's test this theory," she shot at him as they walked over to the lifting station.

He excitedly followed her. There were six metal balls with handles behind the rack. They increased in size and weight. Jess knew she could lift the sixth one without even trying.

Tattoo Face picked up the third one, lifted it and held it to his shoulder with one arm and them extended his arm and lifted it over his head. He dropped it and it bounced against the padded floor.

"Your turn," he taunted.

Jess smirked at him, grabbed it and did the same.

"Your turn," she stated.

He grabbed the fourth one. He lifted it to his shoulder with a quiet grunt and huffed forcefully as he lifted it over his head. He did some kind of tough guy groan-call as he dropped it.

He was panting as he pointed at it with his eyes on Jess. She was about to effortless lift it just to insult him but she noticed the purple-suited game maker looking at her. She lifted it with the same level of struggle as Tattoo Face.

She raised her eyes brows at him and smirked as she dropped it.

"Five is next, in case you can't count that high," Jess said with a smile.

He glared at her angrily and then went for the fifth one. He groaned even more as he lifted it to his shoulder and then struggled and barely got his arm extended.

His face was red and his arm was shaking as the ball hit the ground with a thud.

"No way you can do that, 12," he said between heavy breathes.

Jess grabbed it and groaned as she lifted it to her shoulder. Suddenly she realized how many people had eyes on her; the purple suited guy, Trish, most of the game makers, Malcolm and a handful of other tributes.

She was angry and annoyed. She fake struggled and grunted and then let the ball fall to the ground. The sound seemed to fill the entire center. Jess panted, pissed off and backed away from it.

"Nice try, 12," Tattoo Face said with a smile and a laugh.

Jess peered across the training center and met eyes with Trish who was standing at the bow and arrow station beside a group of other tributes. She sadly smiled at Jess.

The two of them were silent on the elevator ride up from the training center when training ended a few hours later.

"What on Earth did you do?" Pam asked angrily as she strode down the hallway at them as soon as the elevator door opened.

They both reluctantly stepped out.

"We didn't do anything," Trish said uncertainly.

"Settle down, Pam," Hogarth stated as she rounded the corner with Cinna. "There had to be something," Hogarth directed at Jess and Trish.

"Why?" Jess asked anxiously.

"Somebody made friends," Cinna added.

"We just got two alliance requests for the both of you," Hogarth stated. "From Malcolm Ducasse and Will Simpson."

"Malcolm and who?" Jess asked.

Pam huffed annoyed.

"Tattoo Face," Hogarth answered.

Trish shook with excitement. "You did it," she told Jess with a wide smile as she jumped in front of her.

Jess had to smile at how happy she was.

So happy she forgot where they were and who they were with and kissed Jess full on the lips, for the fifth time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jess and Trish get closer to the arena, Hogarth and Cinna weigh their options on how to best use Patsy Walker's fame in their favor.

Jess had always been jealous of the boys Trish got to kiss on stage and on screen. Sure, Trish told her it was fake kissing not real kissing. But, hell she had never got a chance to kiss her either way.

She didn't realize how jealous she should have been until Trish kissed her for the first time. It was how Trish always made her feel but multiplied by a thousand. A thousand times warmer and happier and stronger and braver. She loved it. She loved her, but she couldn't tell her that yet. They had only been dating for three weeks.

Trish pushed Jess backwards but the cold metal door of the elevator hitting her arm made her jump.

Pam gasped in shock. "Ladies!" She called.

Jess and Trish quickly moved away from each other.

"Oh no," Trish said softly.

"Fuck," Jess exclaimed at the same time.

Hogarth darkly chuckled to herself and leaned back against the wall. "We should just assume it at this point," she said to Cinna throwing up one hand in defeat and raising her whiskey glass to her lips with the other.

"Love must be in the air in 12," Cinna said giving a warm smile to the pair of them.

"I'm sorry," Trish squeaked out.

"Nobody can know about this," Jess said nervously.

"A little too late for that," Hogarth stated.

"I mean nobody else," Jess replied.

"What are you afraid of?" Cinna kindly asked Jess.

"Well, a scandal for one thing," Pam answered exasperated.

"You didn't find two ladies kissing so scandalous the other night, Pam," Hogarth deadpanned.

"Jeri!" Pam blurted and then stammered, trying to find something to say.

Trish stifled a laugh. Jess just let one out. Cinna shook his head amused.

Pam huffed and then stormed down the hallway.

"We will discuss how or if we bring this into play later," Hogarth told them. "Go get ready for dinner."

Hogarth smirked over her drink as she watched the two children walk away looking embarrassed. Trish grabbed Jess' hand when they thought they were out of sight and both of them headed to Jess' room.

"This might not be such a bad thing, Jeri," Cinna said intensely as he stood across the hallway from her.

"They are love struck kids, Cinna," Hogarth replied. "I'm not sure they are rebel material."

"Trish already broke the rules to get here. She seems willing to die and I'm assuming Jessica is too," he stated.

Hogarth nodded. "She'll do anything to keep Trish alive."

"We can use that," he added.

"We could also use Patsy Walker's death," she pointed out.

Cinna glared at her, disappointed.

"Not the best choice, but it would enrage the masses," Hogarth added in her own defense.

"They should both live. That would be for the best for us," Cinna stated.

Hogarth nodded as she finished the last of her whiskey. "Jessica got powers from the Seam chemical leak," she admitted.

Cinna looked pleased. "Even better."

"They don't know anything, yet," Hogarth said.

Cinna nodded. "I'll alert the others. Trish knows some of them. They can approach them at the party the day after tomorrow."

Hogarth nodded, hopping it would all work out and she wouldn't go home tribute-less like always.

Jess felt jumpy the next day as she sat in the waiting room for the training test. Trish was shaking beside her. They had both reached for each others' hands twice but pulled back at the last second. Despite Hogarth saying they would discuss how their relationship would be handled, they hadn't.

Jess was a little disgusted that they were letting it effect them at all but then again it wasn't that out of the ordinary for them.

_"What are you afraid of?" Trish had asked the night before in Jessica's room after leaving Hogarth and Cinna in the hallway._

_Jess unzipped her training top and pulled it over her head. She shrugged her now bare shoulders as she tugged at the black tank top that was tightly clinching to her sweat covered skin._

_"I don't know, Trish. Why were we hiding back in 12?" Jess offered up. It was a weak excuse. She knew that._

_Trish did too. "That was different. My-my mother isn't here."_

_Trish took down her hair and pulled off her top to distract herself. Her peach tank top stuck and was nearly pulled off too. Jess almost lost her ability to speak, but Trish pulled it down._

_"Yeah but she's back in 12," Jess pointed out. "And you're going to be going back to her without me."_

_"Don't say that," Trish said softly as she took a step toward her. She placed her hands on her shoulders._

_Jess tried to back away but Trish wouldn't let her. She could have easily gotten away, but she would never use her gifts on Trish. Instead she leaned her forehead against hers._

_"I'm not going to let you die, Trish," Jess told the girl she loved, but was too afraid to tell._

_"Not unless I don't let you first," Trish replied._

Everyone else had been called in for their tests and Jess and Trish were alone in the waiting room. Being from District 12 sucked sometimes.

_Jessica Jones, District 12_ , the robotic voice said over the PA.

Jess looked over at Trish. She could tell she was too anxious to even sadly smile. She just leaned over and placed a shaky kiss on her check.

"Good luck," she said.

"Same for you, It's Patsy Ninja."

That got a smile out of Trish and Jess walked onto the training center floor with a smile of her own.

Hogarth had told her to score as high as she could without being suspicious. Trish had been instructed to score slightly below what she could do. That way everyone who wanted to align with or sponsor Pasty Walker would think her best friend was needed to keep her safe.

Jess did what she was told. She killed it at all the fighting and combat stations, using Tattoo Face as her benchmark and made sure she matched him most of the time and did slightly better only once.

Jess thought she did pretty well and told Hogarth, Pam and Cinna as much as they gathered around in the main room to watch the results. Trish was more nervous. Jess excepted as much. She was always the perfectionist.

Cesar Flickerman quickly went through the scores. District 12 was last again. Jess got an 11, the same as Tattoo Face. Trish got a 7, which was the perfect average score, according to Hogarth.

"Do you think everyone will be suspicious that my score was average?" Trish asked Jess after 10 minutes of silence.

"No," Jess said up into the darkness of her bedroom.

They had pretty much been using the same room since the accidental kiss the other day. It had been Trish's idea and hell Jess wasn't going to argue. If Hogarth, Pam and Cinna noticed, they hadn't said anything. The two of them had been dismissed from dinner after the results show and both went to Jess' room.

Trish had actually changed into a set of Capital provided pajamas. Jess was just wearing her own tank top and her training pants. Trish was resting her head on Jess' chest and seemed nearly asleep.

"There is so much manipulation in all this," Jess said softly as Trish pulled Jess' hand off her own shoulder and around to her chest so she could hold it easier. "All the other kids know you're a bad ass. They'll get that it is just politics."

Trish seemed to nod.

"Except Tattoo Face. It is above his brain capacity," Jess jokingly added.

Trish sleepily laughed. "I think he likes you."

"No, he likes you. He wants me as a lifting buddy or something."

"If only it was different circumstances," Trish said slowly, nearly asleep.

"If only."

Trish was gone before Jess' alarm went off the next morning. It was later than usual since training was over but still earlier than Jess would have preferred. She stumbled out for breakfast and took her seat beside Trish. It was the regular crowd plus all of the other stylists.

They apparently had a packed day of Capital bullshit. There was a pre-party before the Cesar Flickerman interviews that would be broadcast that evening. It started at 6 p.m., meaning they would probably go on around 8:15 and 8:30.

Hogarth and Pam spent most of breakfast and the hour after prepping them on what to say in their interviews. Jess was supposed to be polite and be prepared to say nice things about her actress friend/adopted sister Patsy Walker when she was asked about her volunteering.

"I know what to say. I have done numerous bullshit interviews," Trish told them when they started prepping her.

Jess laughed.

"Of course, darling," Pam replied with a smile. It was the first time in a while she seemed to be pleased by her celebrity tribute.

"Why did you volunteer, Patsy?" Hogarth asked in the practice question voice she had been using.

"For Jess," Trish replied quickly.

Hogarth glared at her questioningly.

"For my beloved adopted sister," Trish added with the perfect Patsy Walker smile.

"Good," Hogarth replied.

After the fake interviews were finished, Jess and Trish were sent to their respective dressing room. Jess wandered around the room confused and annoyed.

_I got a bedroom. Why is this needed?_

Cinna knocked lightly and then opened the door. He had two outfits in garment bags slung over his arm and was pulling a case of something on wheels behind him.

He was being strangely quiet and kept staring at her intensely like he was about to ask her something.

"What?" Jess blurted at him.

He smirked. "I think I made the pants too long, but it won't be a problem."

Jess glared at him uncertainly.

"Unless you would like to wear the dress?" he added with a smile holding up the top garment bags

"Uhh, no," Jess replied reaching for the other.

He nodded and motioned for her to head behind the curtain. Jess hung it on the hook by the mirror and unzipped it.

She laughed at it excitedly.

"Glad to hear you like it," Cinna replied from the other side of the curtain.

It looked almost like the outfit she had been reaped in, the one she was still wearing. It was just nicer. The pants were leather, the grey shirt looked new and and the dark blazer looked more like something Trish would wear but it also looked like her leather jacket.

The pants were a bit long, but Cinna's case was filled with different pairs of boots. So, she didn't mind.

There was some rule that each of the tributes were supposed to arrive at the party separately so they could each be stupidly, dramatically announced. Trish had gone down with Hogarth earlier and Jess was being lead to the ballroom by Cinna.

"You seem nervous," he stated.

Jess glared at him. "You've been acting weird."

He nodded and smiled. "I apologize for that, Jessica. I'd like to tell you."

"Why can't you?" Jess inquired.

"Sometimes secrets are for the best," Cinna stated and walked toward the ballroom doors. They were opened by Avoxs and then someone called out his name and position.

Jess walked up, the doors opened and some guy in a very, very bright suit called out her name and district.

Everyone peered over at her. She saw a handful of familiar faces and one that started making her way to her.

 _Damn Cinna is good_ , Jess thought.

Trish was wearing a flowing red dress with a dark blazer that looked more like a leather jacket than Jess' did.

"Thank god you are here," Trish said as she grabbed her hand. She quickly let go and grabbed her arm instead. "Did you know Hogarth's wife is a mentor for 6?"

"What?" Jess laughed as Trish led her further into the room. "I thought she was a doctor."

"She is, but she is also here," Trish whispered giggling. She motioned to the left but they kept walking.

Hogarth was downing whiskey as a proper looking woman seemed to be scolding her. Pam was standing with her arms crossed and nervously tapping her foot a few feet away.

"Shit, does she know about Pam?" Jess asked with a smile.

"No idea, luckily you came to my rescue," Trish replied.

"Getting entangled in the escapades of Jeri Hogarth, are we?" A guy asked from behind them.

They both turned to face the beautiful man, standing between two women.

"Welcome to the capital," the woman on the right deadpanned in disgust.

"Or in your case welcome back," Finnick said to Trish with a wide smile.

"Ugh, of course you know her?" Johanna sneered.

"You didn't see _It's Patsy in the Capital_?" Annie leaned across Finnick to ask Johanna "I liked it. You were great," she told Trish with a strange smile. "You are always great."

"Thank you," Trish replied politely. "It's good to see you again, Finnick."

Johanna groaned and Jess was feeling an angry outburst coming on until the victor spoke.

"We have fucking three hours of fake pleasantries ahead of us. Will somebody just be rude?"

"Trish is never rude," Jess shot at her.

"That your job?" Johanna replied.

"I wish. Then I wouldn't get chewed out for calling Cesar a creepy ass fuck to his face," Jess answered.

Johanna laughed. "Finnick told me you drunk him under the table once."

"Oh she did," he added. "At, I'm assuming, the best in District 12 dive bars."

"After the District 12 premiere," Trish said. She stopped herself short from saying the title since Annie had started humming the _It's Patsy_ theme to herself.

Jess remembered that movie with mixed feelings. They had found it exciting to meet Finnick Odar, who played Patsy's love interest. They got to go to the Capital to film for a month. Well, that was how long Trish and her mother were there. She forced Jess home after 17 days because she threw her into a coffee table. Trish came back from filming one of the most successful movies of her career and with more bruises than normal and a sprained wrist.

"Think you can do your interview bombed?" Johanna teased.

Jess shrugged. "What are they gonna do if I fuck it up? Kill me?"

"Jess," Trish blurted out as she hit her on the arm.

"Well go get us ladies some drinks, Pretty Boy," Johanna demanded nudging Finnick toward the bar.

He sighed. "Fine. Help me carry, Jessica?"

Jess followed him through the crowded ballroom.

"This isn't the way to--" Jess pointed out as they took a wrong turn.

"I know," he told her calmly as he opened a service door, motioned for her to go inside.

He pulled the door shut and locked it.

"What is this? Why is everyone being weird today?" Jess pleaded.

"There is more going on here than you think," Finnick said quietly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll do anything to save Trish, right?" he asked.

She peered at him confused for a moment. They were just barely friends under normal circumstances, which this certainly wasn't.

"Why should a tell you?" Jess asked defensively.

"I'm not your enemy, Jessica," he stated.

"Yeah, but your tributes are."

He gave his signature cocky smile and shook his head. "Bigger picture."

"What? All the tributes?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"The Capital? The president?" Jess offered up feeling uncertain.

"There you go," he smirked.

She peered at him annoyed and frustrated. "That's all nice and 'big picture' but President Snow isn't going to be in that arena tomorrow."

"Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe someday."

Jess furrowed her brow at him, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying. It was impossible. Nobody could overthrow the government of Panem. Jess was sure she wasn't the only one who wanted it to crash and burn and for Snow to end up dead in the streets. But, every tribute must think that.

"So again, how far are you willing to go to save Trish?" Finnick asked.

"As far as I can," she replied seriously. "What do I have to do?"

"I'm not the one to tell you that," Finnick said with a pleased smile.

"Then who is?" Jess questioned.

"You'll figure it out," Finnick said with a shrug as he walked away.

_What in the fuck?_ , Jess thought as she was left standing dumbfounded in the service hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogarth lets her tributes' death wishes play out until they both do what she wants.

Jess' covert conversation and Finnick acting like some god damn secret agent actually distracted her more during her interview than the three whiskeys she downed with Johanna when she rejoined the group.

Cesar had been creepy and insensitive, like she excepted him to be. She told a bit about herself, which was mostly her relation to Patsy Walker. She bragged a bit about her score and was only tripped up on her last question.

_"Now Jessica, we were all astounded when we saw Patsy volunteer. But what was going through your head?" Cesar asked._

_For a moment she thought about just fucking up all of the plans and telling the truth. She was angry. Angry at the Capital, angry at the games and angry that all these dick heads who were claiming to be such big Patsy Walker fans and had forced her into walking into her own death. And the sick irony was that it was for the same reasons they adored her: she was caring and loving and stupidly brave sometimes._

_"Bittersweet," Jess finally replied. "I'm delighted that she's here with me. But, I'm scared for what might happen to her."_

It seemed to have been the right thing to say. Cinna said as much as he collected Jess on the side of the stage and walked with her to the 12 waiting room.

Jess instantly stood in front of the television screen and waited for Trish to walk onstage. She had a longer intro than everyone else. She was last, so it would have been true even if she wasn't the one everyone seemed to be waiting for.

"Fucking get on with it," Jess grumbled at the screen.

Jess almost felt a sense of relief when Cesar announced her as Patricia Walker. To Jess, Patsy was just a character but Patricia was the girl she loved just trying to be formal.

_"How are you tonight, Patsy?" Cesar asked as soon as Trish sat down._

_So much for that,_ Jess thought

Of course, Trish answered politely and smiled and got the crowd to laugh and awe a few times, while Jess felt like running back on stage and ripping Cesar's head off. She probably could too.

_"So Jessica Jones?" Cesar asked in a tone that implied something scandalous._

_"Yes?"_

_"Your family took her in after she was orphaned years ago?"_

_Trish nodded._

_"You volunteered to be here with her?"_

_"I did."_

_"Why?"_

_"Love," Trish said simply with a small shrug. "Why else?"_

"Fuck, what is she doing?" Jess thought aloud.

Cinna was silent.

_"You love her?" Cesar asked to clarify._

_Trish barely smiled and looked to the floor nervously before perking up and smiling widely._

Jess was melting at how cute she was being and she knew she wasn't the only one.

_"I have for a long time actually. But I only recently mustered up the courage to ask her out," she explained sweetly._

_A few people in the audience awed._

"Oh fuck," Jess said to the screen and her still silent stylist.

_"Asked out? As in...?" Cesar replied awkwardly._

"Like girlfriends, asshole," Jess yelled.

_"Yes, dating," Trish answered calmly and politely. "It has only been for a few weeks. But, I couldn't bare to be apart from her or allow her to be alone during her final days. So, I volunteered...for her."_

_The audience erupted in applause and Cesar was giddy with excitement, basking in the greatness of the gossip that just landed in his lap._

"Fuck, fuck," Jess quietly repeated as she turned away from the screen toward Cinna.

He took a step back. "It is not as bad as you are imagining it, Jessica."

"Yes, it is," she looked at him desperately.

Trish dating girls had come up only once in a conversation with her mother. After all the hateful things she started to spout and the threats, Trish was quiet about it for longer than she wanted to be. Jess knew this wouldn't go well when Trish got home to 12.

Jess needed someone to blame for this, someone to direct her anger at. She knew this couldn't have been Trish's idea alone.

Luckily, the perfect target walked through the door first. Jess slammed Hogarth a bit too hard against the wall. She chocked for breath for a moment.

Pam shirked. Cinna called out in surprise.

"What the hell was that?" Jess hissed at Hogarth.

"Well, this is an overreaction," Hogarth replied.

Jess pushed her harder against the wall and she groaned in pain.

"Fuck you," Jess said through clenched teeth.

"You should know by now nothing I do is unplanned," Hogarth told her.

"Let her go, Jess," Trish pleaded as she yanked on her arm. "It was my idea."

Jess pushed away from Hogarth. Pam went running up to tend to her. Hogarth shrugged her off and grabbed the flask from her back pocket instead.

"Why?" Jess questioned Trish, who was standing only inches from her.

"For you," Trish stated "For us. I don't know. I could be dead tomorrow and I don't want the world to remember me without you."

"You aren't dying," Jess shot back. "And everyone is going to remember this when you get back to 12. Everyone."

"I don't need you fighting every battle for me, Jess. I'll take care of myself," Trish replied.

They gazed at each other in tense silence for a moment.

"You're Patsy Walker's girlfriend now," Hogarth simply put it. "We can use that to our advantage."

"This was a smart move," Cinna added.

Jess took a deep breath. "I need some space," she declared heading to the elevator at the back of the room that would take her back up to the penthouse.

Trish caught her arm when she walked past her. "Jess, please," Trish said softly.

Jess shook her head. "Just for a couple hours."

"OK," Trish replied sadly as she released her arm and let her walk away from her.

Jess torn off her jacket and nice pants and thrown them with all her strength at the ground. Clothing was good for that, it never revealed her gifts. She grabbed her worn out jeans and leather jacket from her bed. The new television was on in her room. Jess muted the sound but kept it on for light.

She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, resting her arms against her knees. She needed to figure out her strategy.

_Keep Trish alive._

That part was simple. She knew she could do it on her own but they had allies now. Well, two of them. Jess wasn't sure what help Malcolm would be. Her only hope for Tattoo Face was the longer he stayed allied to them the less time he was spending trying to kill them.

_Better plan, Jones_

She glanced up at the television. There was Trish right after she dropped the huge fucking news about them. Then it cut to footage of them talking to Finnick and Annie at the party. Jess felt slightly violated. They had no idea that was being filmed. Then it cut to a scene from _It's Patsy in the Capital_ and Trish was kissing Finnick on a street corner somewhere.

Jessica groaned.

_Go figure out his cryptic ass message?_

She nodded to herself and walked out of her bedroom. Most of the penthouse was dark but the full glass wall facing the city was keeping everything slightly illuminated. She found Hogarth in the kitchen pouring a drink.

"I think your girlfriend is crying," Hogarth stated looking up at her. "Want some?" She asked shaking the bottle.

Jess nodded and walked over to the counter across from her. "Where did yours get off to?"

Hogarth grabbed a glass from the shelf behind her, filled it and pushed it over to Jess. "No idea, she lives in 4."

Jess sneered in disgust. "You're ridiculous."

"We can't all be in the bliss of teenage romance," Hogarth snarked.

"We're not in a teen romance," Jess stated.

Hogarth tipped her glass at her. "That is true. If so the two of you would be more concerned about your next date than who is going to martyr themselves first."

Jess was temped to make a snide comment but it was too true.

"Can I talk to you? Alone," Jess asked.

Hogarth nodded, grabbed the bottle and headed for the balcony. There was a party raging all through the streets below them and fireworks were going off constantly. Jess figured the noise and bursts of light would render any cameras on them useless. She was glad it had more of a purpose than making her feel nauseous.

Hogarth had one hand on her hip and gazed at Jess in questioned.

"I'm willing to go as far as you want me to to save Trish," Jess stated.

A smirk slowly slid across her face. "Finnick spoke to you?"

She nodded. "If joining your revolution is what I have to do to save her, I'm in."

Hogarth huffed. "I wouldn't call it a revolution yet. We barely have the framework for a rumbling."

"Could it really work?" Jess asked wishfully. "Could all this shit really stop?"

Hogarth peered at her and smiled. "We're going to try."

Jess nodded.

"It would be a trade," Hogarth explained. "We will save the both of you but you will have to help us in return."

Jess nodded again, taking a drink of her whiskey. "What do I have to do?"

"Fake your death," Hogarth stated.

Jess gaped at her for a moment. "In the arena? That even possible?"

Hogarth shrugged. "Usually, I would say no. But, I think you can pull it off."

Jess took a deep breath and thought it through. "So, I die and Trish wins?"

Hogarth nodded. She walked over to the railing and leaned against it.

"Why?" Jess asked wanting to be certain she knew what she was getting into.

"We need someone with gifts like yours on our side," Hogarth explained. "A dead Patsy Walker would only be on everyone's minds for a few months, then they would forget. But, a heartbroken Patsy Walker, a Patsy Walker grieving for a girlfriend the Capital killed? That would be on their minds every time they see her."

Jessica was a bit taken aback by how excited she sounded. Then it dawned on her.

"Shit! You planned this," Jess stated. "That's why you let Trish out herself, so you could use her heartbreak if I died."

"Saving you was always part of the plan, too," Hogarth stated.

"So how am I going to fake my death?" Jess questioned skeptically.

"Cinna is going to sew a syringe into the inner lining of your jacket. You'll have to inject yourself with it near the end. It will have to be during a fight to make it look like one of the other tributes killed you."

"And then what? You guys hijack the hovercraft that picks up my body?" Jess joked.

Hogarth glared at her. "The drug will knock you out for about 18 hours. You'll be taken to a medical facility. We will not know which one until the games begin but we will have people in place to get you out."

It made sense. It all made a lot of sense and was much better than any plan Jess could have organized on her own.

"Trish know about this?" Jess asked.

"No," Hogarth stated sternly. "And she can't."

"What? No," Jess said with a sinking feeling in her heart. "We only have to fake the heartbreak."

"It has to be real for her," Hogarth stated, standing up from the railing and gazing down at Jess.

"No it doesn't," Jess stated desperately. "Don't know if you noticed, but she's rather good at acting."

Hogarth shook her head again. "She'll have just won the Hunger Games, Jessica. Every second of her life is going to be documented. More than it already is. We can't have her pretending for all of it. It would be too risking."

Jess huffed and held back tears. This was turning into a cruel way to save Trish, but it was her only option.

"She'll find out eventually, right?" Jess tearfully asked.

"Yes. You will have to lay low for a while but we'll have you resurface eventually. We will just have to wait for something big and distracting enough," Hogarth explained, in the kindest tone Jess had ever heard her use.

"OK," Jess replied a with a nod.

"Good. We should get inside," Hogarth stated. "I wasn't joking when I said your girlfriend was crying."

"Right," Jess stated, trying not to think about how much more of that was to come because of her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess finally talks to Trish about what she said during her interview. And they both have a bloody first few minutes in the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've increased the rating and added a violence warning. The games start in this chapter, so there is going to be a lot more action and violence in the coming chapters. But, there is also going to be a lot more of Jess and Trish togetherness. I was getting annoyed at how little there has been. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone.

Jess made it to Trish's bedroom door before her courage disappeared. She was nervous to go in and face her before her talk with Hogarth. Jess felt like their relationship had been taken to another level, in the biggest way possible. They hadn't told anyone yet. Well, except Luke but that had been an accident.

But Trish had told everyone, like everyone. Fuck, Jess had just watched it on television. Hogarth phrased it perfectly, she was Patsy Walker's girlfriend more than anything else now.

She didn't mind and she wasn't even mad. She didn't give a fuck if people knew about her. Her only concern was how it would effect Trish. But it had been her choice. It might have been a dumb choice but hell she was barely even surprised about it.

It was probably the greatest thing Trish could do to get people to like Jess too.

_And she said love._

It probably seemed like a throw away detail to everyone else. Trish said love, not like, not for my girlfriend. She'd said love. Jess had been hoping she felt that way. She had been for much longer than they had been dating. Because she had certainly loved Trish for more than three weeks.

And all of that was making what she was going to have to do so much harder.

Jess jumped when the door opened.

Trish was standing in front her in her Capital pajamas, with a blanket around her shoulders.

She let go of the door and pulled the blanket tightly around herself.

"Were you going to stand out here all night?" Trish asked, sounding slightly mad.

_Mad is good. I can handle mad._

"Maybe," Jess replied with a shrug as she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.

"I thought you'd be here sooner," Trish stated.

"I'm sorry," Jess said with for too much weight for the situation.

Trish rolled her eyes and walked back toward her bed.

"And I'm sorry I got mad at your earlier. I didn't mean to upset you," Jess said awkwardly as she stepped into Trish's darkened room.

A firework illuminated the sky outside the wall of glass and basked Trish in blue and purple light.

"Oh no no, Jess," Trish said shaking her head as she sat down.

"What?" Jess said as she kicked the door closed.

"You don't get to do that," Trish replied. "Be all apologetic and sweet."

"I'm not sweet," Jess grumbled defensively, kicking the carpet.

"Exactly," Trish said, nodding at her. "And I don't want you to be. I told everyone about us and I did it without your knowledge. You don't have to be nice about it."

"I know that," Jess replied weakly.

"And don't change because if I only have a week or so more with you I want everything to be just as it has been," Trish declared slowly. She choked up at the end but tried to hide it.

It didn't work. Jess saw. She crossed through the darkness as another firework exploded outside. She knelt in front of Trish and put her hands on her knees.

"Did you mean everything you told that creepy fuck?" Jess asked softly.

Trish looked at her with teary eyes and a small smile. "That I've loved you for a while?"

Jess smiled warmly. "Yeah, that."

Trish nodded, peering down at her longingly.

"Good. Me too," Jess admitted as she reached up and kissed her.

They slowly moved back onto the bed, never breaking apart from each other, entangling themselves in each other and the blankets as the sky lit up with a burst of color beside them.

It had been enough, just enough for Jessica to forget what she had to do and where they were headed in the morning.

She stirred awake when the sun rose and nearly blinded her in the morning. She groaned and started to get up.

"Not yet," Trish whispered beside her. "Just a moment longer."

Jess obeyed and laid back down. She felt Trish's arms shaking around her. She couldn't think of anything to say, so she took Trish's hand and kissed it. Trish replied by lightly kissing her on the back of the shoulder.

A few minutes later, Pam knocked on the door and instructed them to come out for breakfast. They were quiet as Jess sat on the edge of the bed and Trish changed. She walked over to her and stood before her for a moment. Jess peered up at her. Neither of them knew what to say. So, Jess took her hand and lead them out.

Everyone was silent during breakfast too. Jessica would have gone off at everyone for making her feel so god damn uncomfortable, but Trish never let go of her hand so maybe she didn't feel that uncomfortable.

She felt Hogarth looking at her and glanced across the table at her. She was fiddling with her necklace and raised her eyebrows at her in question.

Jess gave a small nod. She wasn't she what she was asking, but she felt she needed to tell her it was all good and she was ready.

Or at least she thought she was. When the elevator doors opened and revealed the roof of the tribute center, Jess squeezed Trish's hand just as hard as she had been squeezing hers.

Hogarth took a step away from them when they got outside. They both peered at her, both so nervous they didn't realize at first she was giving them a moment alone.

Jess turned to Trish, who had her head down and a few tears slowly streaming down her face. Jess reached out and lifted her chin until she met eyes with her.

"Hey, we'll see each other in a few hours," Jess told her.

Trish gave two quick nods. "Be careful at the start."

Jess nodded as Trish slid her hands around her waist. It was Hogarth's plan for Jess to go into the cornucopia and grab as many weapons as possible. Trish was to grab supplies near the outside and then run for cover.

"I will, then I'll go find you," Jess promised as she put her arms around her shoulders.

"You better," Trish weakly joked through her raising emotions.

"No way I'm going to let you be alone," Jess replied.

Trish sadly smiled and then leaned in and kissed her. Jess struggled to kiss her back. She felt horrible about herself and Trish was kissing her like she truly thought Jess would never leave her alone for a second. And if she had a better choice, she wouldn't.

Trish slowly pulled away when Hogarth walked over. She motioned for Trish to go to the hovercraft on the right.

Trish gave a terrified nodded and walked off.

"I believe in you, Jessica," Hogarth said.

Jess still had her eyes on Trish, who was shakily walking to the opened bay door of the hovercraft. She peered over her shoulder to catch a glance of Jess. Her girlfriend tried her best to smile. Trish did the same.

"Don't let her down," Hogarth finished.

"I won't," Jess declared.

Hogarth placed a hand on her shoulder. They met eyes for a moment and her mentor barely smiled. Jess walked to her hovercraft.

She took her seat and got her tracker injected into her arm. She peered around at the 11 other tributes who had been placed in this craft. She barely knew any of their names. Except for the girl from 2 none of them were considered a threat to her. The only one she felt like she knew at all was the funny boy from 7. He created Trish's It's Patsy Ninja nickname, which all the tributes started using.

Jess watched him breathing heavily in his seat and actually felt sorry for him.

_Poor fucker doesn't stand a chance._

She leaned her head back against her head rest. Maybe she could really pull this all off. Maybe she could fake her own death, save Trish, escape the Capital and join Hogarth's revolution.

Then that bastard kid could be annoying his friends at home, the girl from 2 would never have a chance to get her ass kicked by a movie star and Jess could be back in 12 watching the stars with her girlfriend.

"I know it doesn't seem like it now but this will all be over soon," Cinna said as he walked into Jess' loading room holding a jacket.

Jess nodded. She almost wanted it to start at this point. The sooner she got into that tube and into the arena, the sooner she could find Trish and start working on finishing this.

Cinna handed her the jacket. She smiled at it. It was basically a replica of her leather jacket but made out of the same lightweight, waterproof material as her pants and shirt. She threw it on and zipped it up.

 _15 seconds,_ a robotic voice announced into the room.

Cinna put his hand on her hip. She was weirded out for a second and then felt a small vile pressing against her. She peered up at him and nodded.

"You can do this," he stated encouragingly.

"Hope so," she said.

She huffed loudly at the tube before stepping into it.

_I can do this, I can do this._

She was repeated it in her head as the glass slide around, a buzzer went off and it started to lift her up.

_I can do this, I can do this_

When her platform stopped moving she was in a brightly lit, clearing that was surrounded by a perfect circle of wooded hills that got less covered in trees the higher they went.

Jess quickly peered around. The flashing clock on the cornucopia was counting down from 30. The opening was off to her right. She scanned all the faces she could see. 20 seconds. Trish must have been on the opposite side. She peered to her left and thought she saw Malcolm, then someone tripped or jumped, she wasn't sure, and fell to the ground, which exploded. It was the kid beside Malcolm, who nearly stumbled off his platform but luckily a deafening buzzer went off.

Jess leaped down and took off for the opening. She reached the outer most grouping of backpacks before anyone crossed her path.

She grabbed the kid's shoulders forced him down, kneed him in the face and kept running. It was probably stupid to leave him alive but she didn't have any weapons and killing someone with her bare hands was her last resort.

She veered slightly to grab a spear that was sticking out of ground and kept moving. She was feet from the opening when two people were on her at once. She stabbed the girl in the stomach with the spear and threw it at the boy catching him in he neck. She jumped over a crate of something to make it back to the weapons.

"Nice shot," Tattoo Face stated as he appeared beside her.

"Sneak up on my like that again and it'll be your neck," she hissed as she held up a small knife at him before shoving it into her pocket.

He laughed as he fastened the largest knife or maybe it was a sword on his back. Jess grabbed four more small knifes, slung a bow and quiver over her back, fastened one sheathed knife around her waist and a dragger on her thigh. She took the third largest knife and secured it on her back.

"Ain't going for the second?" Tattoo Face asked. He was now covered in about as many weapons as she was.

She shook her head. "I'm not overcompensating for anything."

He started to laugh again but quickly turned and sliced a boy with the knife. The smaller boy collapsed as his blood spurted onto the larger one. Tattoo Face smiled at his blood soaked knife pleased. Jess was consumed by a horrifying feeling that she needed to find Trish, now.

"See you later, 12," he said as he turned and run back the way she came.

Jess was relieved. She hoped to spend as much time away from him as possible. She sprinted out into the open again and headed for the trees on the opposite side of the cornucopia. She weaved through them, jumping over roots and launching herself off a rock. But then wished she hadn't. Her foot awkwardly landed on something and she fell, nearly avoiding hitting her head on a rock.

_Oh fuck_

The rock was covered in blood. She turned to see what she tripped on and called out quietly when she realized it was the girl from 6.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and quickly turned at the sound of a scream to her left. A familiar scream, an all too familiar scream.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_

Jess bolted toward it, maybe a little too quickly but she didn't give a shit. After a few seconds, she could barely see two people struggling against each other on the ground. The top one was the boy from 2. He was struggling to get a knife closer to the bottom person's throat. But she had his arm and was holding it back.

Jess was just close enough to hear the sounds of the fight to be certain it was Trish. She was scrambling to get an arrow into the bow as she continued toward them.

Trish strained to reach for something. She got it and jammed it into the boy's face. He screamed and grabbed at the tent spike that as sticking out of his eye. He leaned back away from Trish far enough for an arrow to pierce him in the chest. His lifeless body slumped down onto Trish.

She shook and fought for breath as she frantically shoved him off.

"Trish, Trish." Jess ran over and knelt beside her. She helped her sit up and hugged her tightly. "It's OK. It's OK. I've found you."

Trish was still shaking uncontrollably and panting for breath but she managed to hug her back with one arm.

Jess peered around them anxiously. "We need to move."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trish and Jess find some safety and alone time, but it doesn't last for long.

They probably could have stopped running, but Jess wanted to put as much distance between them and all the corpses and flippant murderous others as she could. She didn’t know how many were left. The canon started going off and it seemed to go for a while but she was too busy frantically running away to count. 

Trish was breathing heavily beside her but she had been keeping up without complaining.

 _A complaint would be welcome_ , Jess thought.

Trish hadn't spoken since they killed the boy from 2. She had just given quick nods and terrified looks at Jess.

Jess had given the bow and quiver, the knife from her waist and a few of the small knifes to Trish. She handed the larger of the two backpacks she managed to grab over to Jess.

Trish was holding the bow in her hand and Jess had a small knife in hers, just in case.

They were getting close to the outer ring of the arena, where the trees weren't as dense. Jess put on hand on Trish’s shoulder and slowed them to a stop.

"Far enough, you think?" Jess asked, faking that she was struggling to catch her breath.

Trish threw the bow over her shoulder, clasped her hands behind her neck as she took, long deep breaths. She nodded.

"You still good?"

She nodded again.

"You’re not hurt, are you?" Jess asked.

Trish almost smiled. "Stop trying to get me to talk."

"OK" Jess replied, relieved. "Let's make camp here."

Trish took off her backpack. "The tent is in yours."

Jess slung it off and it clanked loudly against the ground. "And the rest of the campsite too?"

"Possibly," Trish replied.

They pitched the green and black tent, dug a small fire pit, collected some dried sticks and brush and spread out a few things from the backpacks they figured they wouldn’t need. Jess took a good looked at their lopsided tent, nodded to herself and left the campsite to go join Trish in a nearby tree. 

Jess stood at the base of the tree for a moment. She peered up a Trish confused. The lowest branch was probably 12 feet up and the bark was too smooth, unnaturally so, to get any traction on. Jess knew she could reach Trish, who was about 20 feet up. She just didn’t know how Trish had or how she was supposed to without showing off her powers. 

“Uh-hm,” Trish called down. She shot Jess an amused look before hitting a button on the side of her boot and four metal spikes shot out of the toe. 

Jess nodded at her impressed. She pressed the buttons on her boots and started up. Trish shook her head at her when she reached her. 

“OK but how did you even figure that out?” Jess questioned as she pulled herself up onto the branch and straddled it as she faced Trish. 

“Cinna didn’t tell you?” Trish asked, using the tone she always did when she figured Jess had been told something but just wasn’t paying attention. 

Jess threw her hands up uncertainly. She knew it would be what Trish expected. 

“He must have been distracted,” she replied. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. 

“Or you were,” Trish teased. 

“Whatever,” Jess shot back. “Anything good in that?” she motioned to the backpacks beside her. She took most of the supplies and weapons into the tree and started securing them with rope as Jess finished with the campsite. 

Trish nodded and actually looked happy for the first time since the night before. Jess figured it had almost been 24 hours since Trish found her standing outside her bedroom door. There hadn’t been a sunset, but the sky had switched from bright blue to a strange deep purple. 

Trish pulled out two canteens and handed one to Jess. 

She shook it and heard something sloshing inside. “Fuck yes,” she said as she unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the kind of murky, strange tasting water inside. She grimaced and groaned. She held the canteen in front and her and looked at it angrily. 

“How dare it betray you like that?” Trish stated in an overly dramatic voice. 

Jess nodded in agreement. “What an asshole.” She screwed the lid back on and clipped the canteen to one of her belt loops. 

Trish started digging in the bag again. “There was something in here that slightly resembled food.” 

“Well, it can’t taste as bad as that just did.” 

“Ah, here it is,” she said as she pulled out a shiny metallic tube that seemed to be filled with something. She turned it and read the label. “’Standard issue food supplement protein paste’.” She clinched her teeth uncertainly and held it out to Jess. 

“No way,” Jess said shaking her head. “You get to be the idiot this time.” 

Trish rolled her eyes. She ripped off the top corner and squeezed some of it into her mouth. Jess laughed as she watched her try not to react. 

“Ack. Well, it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever tasted,” she stated, with weak optimism. 

"Really?” Jess questioned skeptically. 

Trish looked down, smiled and then looked up at Jess. “Remember when you made dinner for my birthday?” 

“Oh come on,” Jess called out in her defense. “I was trying to be nice and that was like two years ago.” 

“The intention was nice,” Trish admitted. “And I thought it was cute, how poorly it went and how frustrated you got about it.” 

Jess was forming her retort but Trish met her eyes and smiled so warmly and lovingly that Jess would have felt like an asshole to say anything mean to her, even as a joke. 

“Give me your water,” Trish asked softly. 

Jess handed it over willing. “Why? You want to try it.” 

“No,” Trish said firmly. She pulled a cloth from out of the backpack. “Your face is filthy.” 

Jess sighed. “I think the water itself is more important right now,” she protested, but scooted closer to Trish so she could reach her. 

“I passed a stream earlier. We can get more water later,” Trish told her, as she poured some of it out onto the cloth. 

Jess crossed her arms in mild annoyance as Trish slowly and softly started wiping the blood and dirt of her face. Once Trish cleaned a large enough area, she kissed Jess on the cheek. 

“So, that was your plan all along?” Jess questioned impressed. 

Trish smiled and then quickly kissed her lips. “Maybe,” she told her with a hint of sadness and started wiping her forehead. 

Jess was contemplating what to say back, when Trish continued with the same tone. 

“I’m going to die rather soon and I want you looking like you not who the Capital is forcing you to be,” Trish admitted quietly. Her hand shook and then she lowered the cloth from Jess’ forehead. She looked away from her and tried to swipe her tear away before her girlfriend could notice. 

Jess bit down on the inside of her mouth to stop herself from saying something she wasn’t supposed to. 

_Your plan better fucking work, Hogarth._

Jess started to reach out to wipe away the tears that were glistening on Trish’s cheek in the purple moonlight. Then a gold light starting shining from behind Jess. They both peered up at the Panem seal in the sky as the anthem started to play. "The Fallen" appeared in blue lettering. Jess peered over her shoulder just for a second, so she could grab Trish’s hand. She was already reaching for Jess’. 

The boy from 2 was first. Jess figured he would be. Trish shuttered when his photo appeared. Jess felt sick when she saw the boy Tattoo Face had nearly sliced in half. He was from 4. The girl and boy she had killed were both from 9. There were 14 altogether. 

“10 left,” Trish stated dryly. “I like your chances.” 

“Your chances,” Jess corrected. 

Trish just nodded in reply. 

“We should try to get some sleep,” Jess said. “But like in shifts.” 

Trish nodded in agreement. “You go first. I don’t think I can sleep yet,” she said shaking her head. 

Jess gave into her wish. She wasn’t sure if she had enough emotion left to argue with her. They barely had enough room to sit beside each other with their backs against the tree. Trish untied one of the ropes and retied it so they were secured along with the bags and weapons. She pulled a blanket from the backpack and laid it over them. Well, mostly over Jess. 

“Goodnight, Jess,” Trish said sweetly as she kissed her on the side of the forehead. 

Jess barely nodded and leaned her head against Trish’s shoulder. Trish moved her arm around her shoulders and peered out nervously into the purple darkness. 

She had started to doze off a few hours later, but was awaken by something landing on her hand. She swatted it away. At first she thought it was a raindrop but then she saw there was a small burn mark on the top of her hand. 

She felt another one on her face and then her hand again. She swatted at both and then felt her heart jump as she realized what was happening. 

“Jess. Jess, wake up,” Trish called frantically as she elbowed her. 

She jolted awake. “What?” 

“We need to find cover,” Trish stated as she started at the rope around them. 

“Why?” Jess asked quickly as she bunched up the blanket and started untying the weapons. “Ah, the fuck?” Jess called as she swatted at her hand. She glanced up for a second. “Acid rain?” she asked as she handed the blanket and one of the ropes to Trish. 

She shoved them into the backpack. “Seems to be.” 

It started to come faster by the time they got everything packed and made their way down the tree. 

“I think I know a place,” Jess told Trish as they both started running through the trees. 

Trish quickly pulled the hood from her jacket over her head. Jess struggled to untangle hers from the knife and backpack straps. She finally got it up, but it barely helped as they were sprinting into the acid rain that already seemed to be falling at an angle. 

“There!” Jess yelled pointing off to a slab of rock that was jetting about three feet into the air. Jess slid on the wet, smoking grass when she got close to it. She was expecting to land on the dirt under it, but instead she tumbled over a wall of rocks and down into a cave. She managed to turn and grab the wall, enough so that she didn’t slam into the ground completely. 

Trish didn’t react so quickly. But Jess had scrambled to her feet and was able to catch her. Not in any heroic sort of way, just enough to break her fall.

They peered at each other, panting in relief for a moment before getting to their feet. Jess dropped the larger backpack as she peered around the cave. It looked unnatural, like so many other parts of the arena. Calling it a cave seemed like a stretch. It was more of an underground room, dressed up to look like a cave. 

“Guess that storm isn’t all bad,” Jess stated with a smirk. 

Trish was about to smile at her, but then a terrified scream traveled into the cave from above. Trish turned towards it. She looked back at Jess before she headed to the rock wall and started climbing. 

“Trish,” Jess called as she followed her. 

“I just want to look,” she informed her. 

Jess groaned and climbed nearly to the top of the rock wall beside her. They peered out. The storm had picked up. Acid rain was now pouring from the purple sky and the ground was covered with smoke from the burning grass. There was a loud snap that made them both shutter and a tree about 100 yards away fell to the ground. 

The source of the scream was thrown back into their view. The girl somersaulted backwards and struggled to get to her feet. Fortunately, she didn’t and a spear flow just over her head. 

Trish leaned forward to get a better look. 

“It’s Hope from 4,” she said. “We have to help, Jess. She’s only 13.”

Jess knew she should say no. Going out in a fucking acid rain storm to save a kid she didn’t even know who was destined to die anyway was a terrible idea. Jess looked away from Trish and back at the girl. Three kids were coming at her from different sides. But, one was knocked to the ground as someone seemingly jumped out of the sky and started stabbing the kid he landed on in the back of the neck. 

“Fuck, that’s Malcolm,” Jess told Trish. 

They locked eyes. Trish had that stupidly heroic look. Jess felt her heart sink in dread but nodded. 

“Let’s go,” she stated. “Get the girl in here and I’ll take them out.”

They both climbed out of the cave and into the pouring, burning storm. They both headed for Hope. Jess sprinted past her and slammed into the boy who was almost on the girl. She and the boy slid on the slick, smoking grass until Jess was able to pin him on the ground. She grabbed her thigh dagger and plunged it into his chest three times. He gargled his last breath as burn marks started covering his face. 

Jess jumped off him and heard Malcolm yelling. He was only a few feet away but she strained her eyes to see him. When she spotted him, the other boy had his hands tightly around his neck. Malcolm was frantically grabbed at him as his legs started to give out. 

Jess sprinted over. She grabbed the boy by the shoulders and threw him off. Jess stood between him and Malcolm. He angrily grunted at her. She had no idea who he was, 3 maybe. He charged at her and she shoved him back. She jumped at him and punched him in the ribs a few times. He took another step back and then kicked her in the leg. She grabbed a knife from her jacket pocket and lunged at him. He seemed to have the same idea. She forced the knife into his stomach until she felt blood on her hand. He used his dying strength to swing his knife at her face. 

It sliced her just above her left eyes and she went spinning to her right and stumbled back toward Malcolm, disoriented from the pain of the wound and the acid rain hitting it. 

There was another loud snap and she barely saw a flash of blonde before she was forced backwards. The fear and shock gave her enough clarity to make out Trish’s silhouette before a falling tree slammed onto the ground between them. 

“Trish!” Jess yelled horrified as she struggled to get to her feet. 

She couldn’t see her anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess takes care of Trish as they hide out and handle another problem with their new allies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed a day of updating. I knew how I wanted to end this chapter but it took me longer than I thought to write myself to it.

“Trish!” Jess yelled again as she sprinted at the tree and leapt over it.

With the burning rain, purple sky, smoking ground and the blood dripping into her eye, Jess couldn’t see Trish at first. Then she spotted her through the smoke. She raced over and knelt beside her. She was barely conscious and her left leg and possibly her hand were underneath the tree.

“Trish,” Jess said softly as she placed her hand lightly on the slide of her face. Her skin was cold despite the slowly forming burn marks from the acid rain. She strained to keep her eyes on Jess as she struggled to breath weak, rapid breathes. 

“You’re gonna be OK,” Jess said hopefully not lying. She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry about this.”

“Aw, shit,” Malcolm called hoarsely as he stumbled up to them.

Jess left Trish’s side and grabbed the tree ready to slowly lift it up. Malcolm appeared beside her, ready to do the same.

“I got this,” Jess said forcefully. “You help her move.”

“I’ll help her,” Hope said in a small voice as she knelt behind Trish’s shoulders.

Jess glared at her for a moment, furious that the girl they had gotten themselves into this mess for was unharmed and out in the burning rain again.

“Fine,” Jess stated. “1, 2, 3.”

She lifted the tree slowly, but with all her strength. She was too scarred and anxious to even remember that she was supposed to be hiding it.

“Wha…” Malcolm muttered, once he realized he wasn’t even helping.

Trish barely made a noise as Hope pulled her back away from the tree. Jess had no idea if that was good or not. Once Hope had her far enough back Jess let the tree fall to the ground again.

“We have to get her inside,” Jess stated. 

“I don’t think she can walk,” Malcolm said. “We could make a stretcher or something.”

Jess shook her head at them. “We will have all our fucking skinned burned off by then.”

She knelt down beside Trish and met her eyes. It only took a split second for Trish to realize what she was asked. The injured girl weakly put her arm around her girlfriend’s neck as she lifted her up. That was the first time Trish yelled out in pain, worse than Jess had ever heard before. Jess held in her anger and her tears as her girlfriend tightly clenched the collar of her jacket and forced her head against Jess’ shoulder.

Jess ran back toward the cave. “I’m sorry,” she muttered to Trish. As she slid on the grass again and landed perfectly on her feet below. Trish barely reacted.

Jess carefully laid her on the ground near the wall. She dumped the larger backpack on the ground nearby. She grabbed the blanket and rushed back off to Trish.

“Leg,” Trish weakly muttered.

Jess looked at it. It was bent strangely, curved in a place where it definitely wasn’t supposed to be and was certainly swollen.

“Broken,” Jess told her.

Trish half-heartedly nodded. “I can barely feel it,” she stated.

“Right now that is probably for the best,” Jess answered dryly as she lightly laid the blanket over her. She flattened the empty backpack, folded it over and placed it behind Trish’s head.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Trish repeated with a wild sense of sadness.

“No,” Jess demanded. She looked straight down into her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t do that. You aren’t allowed to do that. Not now, not with me.”

Back in 12, every so often Trish would come into Jess’ room in tears. Once it was because of a rather disturbing letter a fan had sent. But every other time it was because of an injury from her mother. Trish would come to Jess with bruises or bleeding cuts and would apologize profusely. As she would say sorry over and over again, Jess would hold her and tell her to stop. With every new time, her love for Trish grew just as much as her hatred for her mother.

This time was different. Finnick had been right. The Capital was her enemy now. It had put them in this god awful situation, it had covered them in burn marks and it had nearly gotten Trish killed. And nothing was supposed to happen to her. Jess had just wanted everything to happen to herself. She could be injured and forced to kill and die but not Trish. She had suffered enough already.

“How did you do that with the tree?” Malcolm questioned as he made it down the rock wall and into the cave.

“Adrenaline,” Jess answered angrily, not looking at him.

“Um, here,” Hope said from behind her. Jess turned around to face her. She was holding out two rather straight sticks that were almost the same length.

“Thanks,” Jess said unsurely as she took them.

“You should make a splint…for her leg,” Hope added.

“Right.”

Jess turned back to Trish. Her eyes were closed and Jess nervously put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m not passing out. I’m going to sleep,” Trish replied, weakly but starting to sound more like herself. “Your sleep shift was first, remember?”

Jess barely smiled.

She grabbed one of the ropes from the pile of their supplies. She pushed the blanket off Trish’s left leg. She stared down at it uncertainly for a moment. Jess sadly realized that of all the ways she and Trish had learned to manage and cover up injuries over the years, she had no idea if there was a good way to make a splint. She did her best. She laid the sticks on both sides of her leg and tied them to it with the rope she was cutting into small pieces with her knife.

Trish groaned and shuttered a few times, but for the most part she was quiet and seemed to almost be asleep shortly after Jess finished with her. She leaned her back against the wall with Trish’s head beside her. Trish reached back for her with her right arm and hit her on the leg. Jess scooted over until Trish could rest her head in Jess’ lap. That was when she actually fell asleep.

Jess watched Malcolm glance up at her every few minutes with a quizzical look on his face. Hope was doing the same, but with a look of admiration and need.

“What, kid?” Jess questioned.

Hope peered at her unsurely for a moment. “Why did you guys help me?” she started to ask only Jess, but turned to Malcolm too.

“So many have died already. I wasn’t able to help anybody else,” he shrugged. “I just thought I might be able to help you.”

“Trish wanted to save you,” Jess replied.

“But, why did you help?” Hope asked confused.

Jess smirked and shook her head. “Haven’t been paying much attention have you?”

“Well, you guys didn’t drop that bomb until the night before,” Malcolm offered up in Hope’s defense. “It was a smart move.”

Jess scoffed at him. “It wasn’t a move,” she shot back. Well, maybe it had been from Hogarth’s perspective, but Jess knew Trish didn’t view it like that. 

Malcolm started picking at something in the palm of his hand. He peered at it closely and then looked up at Jess concerned.

"Fuck, what now?" she asked.

"You got a bunch of these little thorns in your hands?" he asked showing the ones in his.

Jess examined her hands. "Fuck. What are they?"

"I don't remember what they're called, but I think they might be poisonous," he answered sounding scarred.

"Are they from the tree?" Hope asked.

"Probably," he said with a shrug.

"Shit," Jess said softly to herself glancing down at Trish. Now that she knew to look for them, she saw that they were all over her skin on her left side. "What kind of poisonous?" Jess demanded of Malcolm.

"I don't know," he replied anxiously.

"Let me look," Hope stated as she moved over to him and took his wrist and stared intensely at the thorns. "I think they are the pain ones. They don't actually do any harm, they just cause the feeling of pain."

"Fucking great," Jess replied.

Unfortunately, Hope was right. 

She only got a few and was sitting against the cave wall, wincing in pain for a few hours. 

After that, she was doing her best to help the three people who saved her life. She went outside once to fill hers and the two older girls' canteens. Jess said they could share and forced the one back at her. Hope gave it to Malcolm. She had been staying on the wall beside him, as he shook, groaned and routinely blacked out. She felt like she needed to leave the other two alone.

Jess had been worried about Trish before, but this was completely different. Jess was struggling to stay lucid, the pain from those fucking thorns was so bad. And she had a higher threshold for pain and healed faster than most people. Trish didn’t have either of those and she also had a broken leg. Actually, the more Jess had looked at it the more she thought it might be shattered. Meaning her stick and rope splint wasn’t doing any good. 

Jess was still holding Trish’s head in her lap with her back against the cold, damp cave wall. She took off her jacket and laid in over Trish along with the blanket. Sweat was covering her hot skin as she shivered. She wasn’t crying anymore but tears were seeping out of her eyes and running down her face. About once or twice an hour her eyes would slide back into her head and Jess would feel her go limp for a moment. Jess panicked every time but after a few moments, Trish would shake herself awake and grasp Jess’ hand once more. 

_How did this get so fucked up so fast?_ Jess asked herself. Trish had been making fun of her from a tree less than a day ago. 

The Panem anthem started to play. Hope and Jess both turned to see the golden light barely making its way into the cave. Hope ran over and climbed the rock wall. The broadcast was much shorter than the last time. Hope was quiet until she made it back to her spot beside Malcolm, nearly directly across from Jessica. 

“Three dead,” Hope stated. 

“The boy from 1?” Jess asked. 

Hope shook her head. “He’s probably going to win.” 

“He definitely thinks so,” Jess replied with a smirk. 

“You’re not going to let him,” Hope stated more than she asked. 

“Seven left? I like our chances,” Jess said trying to sound cocky. 

Hope almost smiled. She laid down for the night a few minutes later. Jess settled in against the wall. She was ready to sleep in the same position she had been in for hours, but then Trish pulled on her arm. 

“Lay down,” Trish muttered softly. 

Jess wasn’t going to argue with her. She slowly moved Trish’s head onto the makeshift backpack pillow and laid between the wall and her. Jess turned onto her side to face her. Trish twisted toward her, keeping her leg at flat as possible. She tried to lean over to get closer to Jess. Her girlfriend noticed and moved closer, close enough for Trish to cover the remaining inches between them and kissed her. 

It only lasted for a few seconds. But Jess smiled when she pulled away. Though the smile quickly left her face when she saw the concern in Trish’s pain stricken eyes. 

“You need to go,” she whispered weakly. 

Jess couldn’t even bring herself to act offended. She thought Trish would arrive at that conclusion. If she was in the arena by herself she would have too. It was why she expected Hope to be gone by the morning. The majority of the remaining tributes were in that cave.

“Please, Jess,” Trish pleaded. “I don’t think I’m going to make it out of here and someone is going to find us eventually.” 

“Trish,” Jess grumbled looking away from her. 

“Look at me,” Trish commanded faintly. 

Jess reluctantly met her teary eyes and serious expression. 

“I’m not afraid to die. I’ve accepted it,” Trish admitted gravely. “I never stood a chance of making it longer than you did. You can’t save me forever. Just let me die knowing you have a chance to make it out alive.” 

Jess felt her emotions raising and struggled to keep them down. Part of her just wanted to tell Trish everything. Tell her that she wasn’t going to die, she didn’t have to die to save Jess. And the fact that she was already set on dying for her was going to make it even more painful when Jess faked her death. Maybe Hogarth was wrong, maybe Trish could act through it. But if Jess got caught sometime after the arena, she didn't want to think of what the Capital would do to Trish for being a part of it. No, she had to stick with the plan as fucking cruel as it was. 

“I’m not leaving you. I’ll kill anyone who comes near you,” Jess stated. 

“And when everyone else is dead? What are you going to do then?” Trish asked.

“Ride out whatever the arena throws at us with you,” Jess lied confidently with a small smile. “You just aren’t allowed to jump in front of anymore trees,” she joked. 

Trish gave a small, painful laugh. 

Jess felt a mixture of disgust at herself and love from Trish from joking about it. She knew Trish would do something just as dangerous again to save her if she let the arena be the final enemy. That was why she would have to leave Trish at some point. So, she could run off and get herself fake killed without Trish trying to save her. 

Jess figured Trish probably had more to say, but she was too injured and exhausted to keep going. Jess moved as close to her as she could and lightly draped her arm over her. Trish held her arm securely as she continued to shake and shiver beneath it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to look up for a bit until numbers start to dwindle in the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize for what I had to do to multiple characters in this chapter.

Jess awoke slowly to a hand stroking her face. She laid there for a moment, thinking she had to be imagining it. Then pain burst of the cut above her eye and she felt a cold substance on her eyebrow. She grunted and pulled away. 

“Oh, sorry,” Trish said flinching her hand away from Jess’ face. 

Jess quickly pushed herself into a sitting position and she stared at Trish confused. She was sitting without shaking or wincing in pain. She still looked sweaty and exhausted, but not really as bad as the night before. “What is going on?” 

“Infection cream,” Trish replied with a shrug, holding up the small container. 

Jess shook her head at her. “Not that. How are you so much better?” 

She slowly turned and picked up something from the ground on her other side. “These probably,” Trish said, holding out a pill bottle to Jess. 

“’Extra strength pain relief for post-trauma uses’,” Jess read. “How they hell did you get these?” 

“Sponsor gift,” Trish stated, holding up a small cream-colored note card. “’Courtesy of the Pasty Walker Appreciation Society of District 12’,” she read off the card. 

Jess laughed, “Appreciation society?” 

Trish hit her on the arm and sighed. “The infection cream was addressed to you.” 

She handed her the other note card. ‘Courtesy of the staff and patrons of Luke’s Bar.’ 

“I used some of it, though,” Trish admitted. 

Jess smirked. “I don’t think he’ll mind.”

Trish nodded at her and smiled. 

“So, did the gifts fly in here or something?” Jess questioned. 

Trish shook her head. “Hope brought them in. She thought I was asleep. She’s gone.” 

Jess nodded understandingly. She was pleased, actually. She didn’t want to kill her and she didn’t want to have to watch her die. It also seemed unlikely that she would fight them so she was of no use to Jess and better off being far away from them. 

“Malcolm?” Jess asked as she leaned around Trish to look for him. 

Trish nodded as Jess spotted him. He was lying on the ground against the wall. Unlike Trish, he looked almost the same as he did the night before. 

“How did he get it so bad?” Jess wondered. 

“I think he was in one of the thorn trees,” Trish said as if she had been thinking over it for a while. She turned to Jess. “Remember, he dropped out of a tree?” 

Jess nodded. 

“The pain activation thorns,” Trish started. “They’re Capital engineered. They don’t start causing pain until they are activated by the game markers.”

“Fuck,” Jess said with a sinking feeling in her chest. “His plan was to stick to the trees. He was probably covered in them.” 

Trish held the pill bottle and the canteen out to Jess. “Would you go give him some? I’ve been wanting to but, well…” she trailed off motioning at her leg. 

“Right, yeah.” 

Jess walked across the cave and knelt beside him. 

“Malcolm,” Jess called as she shook his shoulder. 

He barely groaned at her. He was slumped awkwardly against the wall. It looked like his neck was bent in a painful way. Jess hooked her hands under his arms and lifted him into a sitting position. He gasped, like he was struggling to breathe. 

“Malcolm,” she called louder, slapping him on the side of the face. 

“Hey,” he muttered, as he blinked his eyes open. 

“Here,” she held out two of the pain pills to him. “Take these.” 

“No,” he grumbled. 

“They’re for the pain, idiot. You want them. Open your mouth,” Jess commanded. 

He fought her for a second then obeyed. She put the pills in his mouth and tipped in water from the canteen. He swallowed them and then started coughing. 

“Thanks,” he replied, as he rubbed him face and leaned his head back against the cave wall. 

“Yeah don’t worry about it,” Jess said uncertainly as she picked up his canteen. It was nearly full. “You should have been drinking this,” she said as she shoved it into his chest. 

He half-heartedly nodded and flopped his hand onto it to secure it. Jess shook her head at him and was about to stand when she heard a crumbling noise. 

“Uh, Jess,” Trish said anxiously. “What was that?” 

Jess stood and took a few steps toward the back of the cave. She felt the rock floor start to crumble beneath her feet. She quickly looked to the back of the cave and to the best she could see, the cave ground was crumbling into itself and falling into the darkness beneath them. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” she yelled as she rushed over to Trish. “The floor’s fucking disappearing.” 

“What?” Trish asked frantically. She started balling up the blanket. 

“We don’t have time for the supplies. Grab the weapons. We got to move,” Jess commanded as she threw on her jacket and started fastening on her weapons. She handed Trish the bow and quiver and she secured them on her back. Jess glanced across the cave. “Malcolm get up,” Jess yelled. He grunted in response. 

Jess turned her attention to Trish. She held up her hands. Jess reached down and pulled her up. 

“Can you put any weight on that?” Jess asked as Trish as she helped steady her in front of herself. 

Trish took a deep breath and tried. She cried out and fall onto Jess, who caught her. Trish shook her head with a tear forming in her eye. “Not at all.” 

“All right,” Jess said with a nod. “I’ll help you.” 

Jess got on Trish’s left side and she put her arm around her shoulder and they staggered to the rock wall. Jess took another glance across the cave. 

“Malcolm! Come on!” Jess yelled at him. He was still on the ground in the same position she had left him. 

She reached the rock wall with Trish. Jess panicked internally for a moment unsure what to do as the crumbling was starting to sound closer. 

“Hold me up for a second,” Trish asked Jess. 

“What?” 

“Hold up my shoulders so I can get my foot on, then I should be able to get myself up,” Trish explained. 

Jess nodded and held Trish’s shoulders as she grasped the wall and got her right foot on. She started to pull herself up. 

“Good?” Jess asked as Trish climbed with her arms and right leg as her left hung seemingly, lifelessly against the wall. 

She nodded and groaned. “Yes.” 

“Malcolm!” Jess yelled as she sprinted over to him. “You’ve slept enough, time to get up,” she said as she knelt down and hit him on the shoulder. He slumped strangely. 

_Oh no, no._ She barely heard a canon go off in the distance. 

She shook his shoulder. When he didn’t move she reached out and held her hand to his neck. “Oh shit,” Jess said sadly. She reached out and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Malcolm.” 

She stayed there for a moment, trying to convince herself to move. Then the ground beneath her knee moved. She scrambled backward as the ground inches in front of her disappeared. She climbed to her feet and rushed at the rock wall. She made to it to Trish in seconds. Jess reached the surface first and pulled Trish the rest of the way as she screamed in pain and the cave imploded behind them. 

They were still for a moment, lying awkwardly on each other and just staring at the remnants of the cave. 

“Damnit,” Jess said angrily under her breath. “Fuck this place.” 

Trish reached up and place her hand lightly on Jess’ face. Jess took a few deep breathes and then nodded into Trish’s loving eyes. 

“We should move,” Jess told her. 

Trish nodded. Jess helped her up again and they started slowly moving forward. They both smelt burning and looked to their right. The forest was ablaze. They both shuttered at a loud noise in front of them and saw the hill in the distance was moving down toward the trees in an unnatural looking landslide. 

“Oh my god,” Trish breathed in fear. 

“They’re driving everyone out to end it,” Jess added, anxiously peering around them. 

“Where are we going to go?” Trish asked in a scarred, small voice. 

Before Jess could answer she saw someone running toward them. 

“Get down,” she instructed Trish as she lead her over to the nearest tree and helped her sit with her back against it. She quietly winced in pain as her left leg laid awkwardly in front of her. 

Jess pulled the large knife from her back and held it at her side. As the person got closer she realized it was Hope. She sighed in relief. She put the knife back and was ready to help Hope when she reached them. 

But, she didn’t reach them. An arrow flow out of the trees and pierced her in the throat with such force she spun and instantly collapsed. Trish yelled in horror behind Jess, who struggled to breathe for a second. She pulled a small knife from her pocket and waited for a moment. The kid slowly walked out of the trees to look at what he did. Jess threw her knife at him as hard as she thought a normal person could. The blade hit him in the chest and he fell backward. 

Two canons went off. 

Jess turned around to check on Trish. Jess glanced at her for a moment, but then her eyes were caught by two people running pass them and to the remaining undamaged corner of the forest. It was Tattoo Face being pursued by the girl from 2. 

Jess had a sinking feeling of nerves and impending heartbreak as she watched them run past. It was down to four people. She had to go after them. She couldn’t let them kill each other. One of them had to kill her for Hogarth’s plan to work and for her and Trish to survive. For a moment, she almost wanted to just run after them without having to face Trish and lie straight to her. But, she knew she would never forgive herself. 

Jess run back to Trish, who was holding the bow with an arrow already loaded in it. 

“I have to go after them,” Jess told her as she knelt in front of her. “This will be the best chance to take both of them out.” 

Trish looked scarred and nervous but nodded. “Please, hurry back,” she said, pressing her lips together to stop herself from crying. 

Jess bit down on the instead of her cheek. “I promise,” she told her. 

She leaned forward and desperately pressed her lips against Trish’s. Jess let herself feel happy and safe and cared about, just for a moment before she pulled away. Trish was peering at her intensely, almost like she knew something was wrong. 

“This isn’t goodbye. This isn’t the end, OK?” Jess told her firmly, looking directly into her eyes and hoping she would understand what she really meant. 

Trish gazed at her with an innocent sense of questioning. “OK,” she replied with a tearful nod. 

“I love you,” Jess said quickly and then she turned, without giving Trish a chance to respond. 

Jess knew it was the wrong thing to do, but she couldn’t handle Trish’s response to her finally saying it too and then go off to break her heart. Jess sprinted deeper and deeper into the woods. She had to be getting close. 

After a few minutes, she heard a canon. 

_Fuck. One of them better be OK._

She started sprinting faster, weaving between the trees. Then she saw Tattoo Face in front of her. She threw her thigh dagger at him. He must have heard her approaching and did the same. She dodged him knife. The hilt of hers hit him in the stomach, her intention. 

“Lousy shot,” he taunted. 

She scoffed at him. She peered around and didn’t see the body she expected. “What did you do with the 2 girl?”

He looked amused. “Nothing. I figured you killed her.” 

Jess peered over her shoulder for a split-second in a moment of complete panic. She must have doubled back meaning that canon was either for her or Jess’ worst nightmare had happened. For a second, the feeling of seeing Trish under that tree flashed back to her. She shook it out of her head. No, she couldn’t even let herself think it. She had no way of knowing. So, she had to stick with the plan. 

“Good on, Pasty Ninja,” Tattoo Face laughed. “Unless that girl took her out. That would make you pretty mad, right?” 

She ran at him and tackled him to the ground. She punched him repeated in the face. The first one was at nearly full strength but then she got her angry in check and let him throw her off. She landed on her back a few feet away. He lumbered toward her. She kicked his knee and he stumbled forward. She moved back from him a ways and watched him get up. 

She kept her eyes on him and pretended she was struggling to caught her breath as she torn the inside lining of her jacket and got her hand on the vile. The needle was smaller than she thought it would be. 

_Good. The less room to cover the better._

She moved it up to the inside pocket of her jacket. 

Tattoo Face was on his feet and pulled his large knife from his back. She did the same. He swung at her and she dodged it. He did four more times and then she swung at him. He barely got out of the way. With the next swing, she stopped it with hers and it flung out of his hand. He grunted angrily. 

Jess took a nervous breath as she realized this was her chance. He had pulled a small knife from his hip, but was hiding it. He didn’t think she saw it and all she had to do was pretend she didn’t. 

_Please work._

She charged at him and raised her knife just a bit too early. He jabbed the knife at her and caught her in the stomach as her knife collided down onto his shoulder, blood sprayed over the both of them. He screamed and drug the knife across Jess’ stomach until his arm went limp. Jess cried out in pain. 

_Do it now, Jones._

While Tattoo Face was still slumped and bleeding on her, she pulled the vile out of her pocket, flicked off the cap, jabbed the needle into her thigh and injected herself. When it was empty, she crushed the vile in her hand the best she could and dropped what was left. She pushed Tattoo Face off. A canon went off when he hit the ground. 

She stumbled backward away from him. Whatever the knock out drug was, it was working fast. Or maybe that was the stomach wound. Jess wasn’t sure. She fall to her knees and then her hands hit the ground too. She fell onto her side and groaned as pain from her stomach wound shot through her entire body. She laid perfectly still. 

A canon went off. 

She would have smiled, if she could move at all. She heard the Panem anthem start to play. She knew the name of the winner would be coming soon. 

_Please say it, please say her._

She blacked out before the winner was announced.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess continues her escape from the games with some help and later feels the full extent of what she did to Trish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have most of this planned out now, so it's going to be 13 chapters total. Thanks again to everyone who is reading and commenting.

Jessica choked for breath and seized all the muscles in her chest and stomach as she was jolted awake. 

“Whoa! Whoa, easy! Lie back,” someone instructed her as they pushed her shoulders down.

Jess obeyed, but only because it felt like her heart was about to explode and her blood was moving too fast. 

“What the fuck?” she managed to mutter. 

She struggled to keep her eyes open with the bright lights shining down at her. Whoever else was in the room moved them out of the way or dimmed them, she couldn’t tell. 

“Deep breathes,” the person said. 

Jess took a few slow deep breathes and after the third one, it all come rushing back to her. 

“Trish?” she asked desperately, reach out for the stranger she could barely see. 

“She won,” the person told her. 

Jess took a deep breath of relief and smiled. It had work. It had actually fucking worked. 

She took another breathe and she could see that she was in some type of medical facility. The woman standing over her looked vaguely familiar. She read the name stitched into her jacket. 

“Ross-Hogarth?” Jess asked the doctor. “You’re Hogarth’s wife?” 

The doctor nodded. She peered nervously at the door behind her and then back at Jess. “As soon as you’re ready, you will need to get moving.” Wendy took her wrist and checked her pulse while peering at her watch. “I had to wake you up before the drug wore off.” 

“Why?” Jess asked, as she woozily sat up in the bed, turned and placed her feet on the ground. 

The doctor shook her head. “I don’t know. Could be a real reason, could be Jeri’s paranoia,” Wendy answered. 

Jess raised an eyebrow at her. 

“We don’t all know everything,” Wendy informed her. “It is safer that way, as I’m sure you understand.” 

Jess nodded. “How long has it been?” 

“15 hours,” she replied. 

Jess painfully stood and clenched the stitched wound on her stomach. She peered down at her outfit and realized she can been put in jeans, a tank top, a grey jacket and boots at some point. 

“The after show?” Jess asked. 

“It aired three hours ago,” Wendy answered. 

Jess was almost annoyed at how casually she said it. Then she realized though this lady was Hogarth’s wife they barely spoke and she had only met Trish once at that party before the interviews. She had no idea that Jess felt sick and horrible and like a piece of shit for lying to Trish and making her sit on that fucking stage beside that creepy fuck, watch the game highlights and then talk about her win. 

“Do you feel well enough to walk?” Wendy asked. 

“Well enough,” Jess answered. 

The doctor nodded. “Turn left and go to the first stairwell on the right. There will be someone to meet you at the bottom.”

Jess nodded at her. She pulled up her hood, pushed open the door and quickly walked through the hallway. She had no idea what kind of medical facility this was. And it seemed she was in an abandoned part of it or the morgue. It might have been the morgue. 

_That would make sense._

Jess casually walked into the stairway. She rushed down the empty stairs. She slowed when she reached the bottom. A man with dark hair and blue eyes was standing at the bottom and jumped slightly when he saw her. 

“Jessica,” he said. “Follow me.” 

He pushed open the door in front of him. He went through first and she followed. They seemed to be in an underground parking facility. At the other end, there was a filming crew adjusting lights and mics as the actors ran lines in the middle of the set. Jess peered back at the man. She knew she recognized him. 

“You worked on one of Trish’s movies,” Jess said softly. 

He nodded. “My brother and I were cameramen on the first _It’s Patsy_ film. Castor,” he told her. 

“Right, sorry,” Jess replied. 

He smiled and nodded as he continued leading her through the parking area. “It’s OK. You have been through a lot recently.” 

“Yeah, that’s a fucking understatement,” Jess replied. 

He stopped beside another door. “We are all really glad you pulled this off.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

“Go through this door, up the ramp and then turn left. Someone will be along for you,” Castor told her. 

She nodded. “Thanks,” she awkwardly muttered. 

He started walking back to the set and she pushed open the door. She peered up the ramp to the surface and then casually walked up it, restraining herself from sprinting up it. This was all feeling too shady. There were probably camera’s everywhere and Trish’s—and apparently a fucking whole lot of other people’s – safety depended on her remaining dead. 

She turned left when she reached the Capital street above. This was a strange part of the city that didn’t look as nice and flashy as the rest. Jess almost laughed to herself. Patsy got lost on her first day in _It’s Patsy in the Capital_ in an “underprivileged” neighborhood so she could be saved by Finnick. The street that was used look a whole lot like this one. 

“Hey girl,” someone called from out of the alleyway beside her. 

She grabbed for a knife in her jacket pocket, ready to throw it at the person. She stood still for a moment and had to remind herself she wasn’t in the arena any longer. She looked at the person in the alley. She felt disgust at what her mind instantly went to do when she realized who it was. 

“You need a lift?” Luke asked with a smile. He was leaning against his motorcycle and held out a helmet and sunglasses to her. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked as she took them and put them on. 

He shrugged. “You’re not the only one Hogarth recruited.” 

“She got to you too?” Jess asked. 

He got onto the motorcycle. Jess got into the seat behind him. 

“She said you’d need someone to help you lay low. Someone you could trust,” he replied. 

“And that meant you?” Jess asked. She was starting to get annoyed with Hogarth for making her leave Trish alone, thinking she had died and dragging Luke into the mess too. 

“Is there anyone else?” Luke asked. 

“I guess not,” Jess replied, truthfully. 

He peered over his shoulder to look at her. “You did good, Jessica. I hope this all works out and you guys can be together soon.” 

Jess couldn’t even nod. He sounded so sincere and kind. She knew it was because he was the first of the three people to tell her she did a good job murdering a bunch of children, letting innocent kids die and faking her own death who really understood what the real reason was. Not just that she wanted to save Pasty Walker, but that she had loved Trish for years and she couldn’t go on without her and she wouldn’t want to because what good would her world be without her. 

“Thanks, Luke,” Jess said. 

He started the motorcycle and headed out of the city. 

Jess hung back by the motorcycle outside of the average looking shitty motel as Luke went inside to get a room for them. He held up a key as he walked from the office to the stairs. She threw his motorcycle bag over her shoulder and followed him up the stairs and into their room. Luke hit the light switch, it buzzed for a moment and then turned on. 

“Not too bad,” he said trying to fill the silence. 

“It’s not a cave,” she added harshly. 

“Very true,” he added. He watched her go to the bed further away from the door so he sat on the closer one. “That bag is filled with food by the way.” 

Jess nodded absent-mindedly. 

“Someone’s going to come by at some point with clothes and stuff for you,” he told her. 

She just nodded again. 

“If you don’t want to talk, just tell me,” Luke said kindly. 

“I don’t want to talk,” Jess replied. 

He nodded. He got up and headed to the bathroom. “You should really eat something,” he told her before he closed the door. 

She peered down at the bag for a moment, but didn’t feel like eating anything out of it. She took off her boots and kicked them toward the bed. She walked over to the light switch and turned the lights off. She turned on the television when she past it. As soon as she heard Cesar Flickerman and the other guy narrating something she muted it. She took off her jacket and threw it down beside the bed. She stared down at the bed for a moment. Eventually, she talked herself into getting in and laying against the pillows she piled against the head board. 

She stared through the darkness at the muted television and realized it was the first time since she entered the arena four days ago that she could go to sleep without an immediate fear. Nobody was trying to kill her from just around the corner, she wasn’t going to be hit by acid rain or a falling tree and nobody was on the brink of dying beside her. But, then again nobody was beside her. 

She realized she never really thought about the fears around her too much in the arena. She smirked to herself. She knew why that was. It was Trish. She kept everything light and happy even when she was on the brink of death. Jess closed her eyes and tried to imagine what Trish would say if she was there with her. 

She could replicate her words in her head but she couldn’t make up for the feeling of not having her there beside her. She also couldn’t make up for the pain in her heart from knowing she was out there thinking Jess had died, died trying to save them when she promised she would be back. 

_Maybe she understand what I meant_ , Jess thought hopefully. She doubted it. She had been pretty god damn vague. 

Jess didn’t know quite how exhausted she was until kept her eyes closed for a bit too long and instantly fell asleep. She woke up a few hours later, nervously reacting to nothing. She sat up annoyed with herself and rubbed her face with her hands as she groaned. She peered over at the other bed for a moment. Luke was sound asleep. 

The television was still on with the sound muted. It took Jess a moment to comprehend it was a clip from the games. It was during the acid rain storm. The footage kept cutting between different tributes. There was a few she didn’t recognize, then a quick clip of Hope running, then of Tattoo Face peering out of a tent that seemed immune to the acid, then Malcolm in a tree pulling his hood over his face. The last clip was of Jess and Trish hitting the ground underneath the tree and sprinting away from it. 

The screen went black for a moment and then flashed “Hunger Games After Show Special with Cesar Flickerman” as the camera swooped through a crowd and then onto a stage. “Repeat” flashed in the red in a corner of the screen. Jess scrambled out of her bed and lunged for the sound button on the television. 

_“Welcome back to the after show,” Cesar said with a wide smile._

Jess sat on the edge of her bed, leaning forward and staring at the television intensely. 

_“As you know, I am here with the victor of the 73rd annual Hunger Games Pasty Walker,” he said excitedly._

_The camera switched to Trish for a moment._

Jess was relieved as all hell to get a glimpse of her. But, she was also holding back tears as she saw her looking more broken than she ever had before. 

“Fuck,” Jess whispered, tearfully to herself. 

Trish looked small and scarred sitting in the middle of the bright red couch. She was keeping her arms tightly at her sides and was clenching her hands together forcefully. She seemed to have tears in her eyes that were almost running her makeup, which was way more than her usual stage makeup. Jess figured she still hadn’t fully recovered from the thorns and injury pain that was making her pale and covering her skin in sweat. There was some kind of white, robotic looking brace on her left leg. It fully covered her kneecap and then ran down the sides of her leg and all around her ankle. There seemed to be some kind of blue light coming off it wherever it touched her skin. 

Her outfit was simple, an innocent looking plain pink dress and a leather jacket that looked a whole lot like Jess’. She looked closer. No, it was hers. Jess shrugged to herself as she wiped away a tear. She was glad she had it. 

_“So Patsy, during the acid rain storm you and Jessica teamed up with Malcolm from District 11 to protect Hope form District 4,” Cesar said._

_The camera cut across to Trish. She nodded and struggled to find words._

_Aw fuck_ , Jess thought. Trish had always been fantastic as talking her way through bullshit interviews. Jess felt like shit. She had truly broken the girl she loved. 

_“What was going through your head at that moment?” Cesar asked._

"Get some new questions, you dick," Jess hissed under her breathe. 

_“I…,” Trish started then trailed off. She closed her eyes, took a breath and started again. “I had become friends with Hope during training. I wanted to save her. Malcolm jumped in on his own. J-J-Jess—“_

_Trish lowered her head and fought back her tears._

“Fuck, fuck,” Jess said as she almost did the same. 

_Trish shoved her hands into the pockets of the leather jacket. She mouthed something to herself and then looked up at Cesar and continued._

_“Jessica had made friends with Malcolm. We went out to help them,” she explained with a fake smile and a small shrug._

_“And that did not go to well for you?” he asked, like he was making a joke._

_Trish half-smiled, looked down at her leg and then back up at him. “I wouldn’t say so.”_

_The crowd laughed politely and Cesar threw his head back in some weird howling laugh._

_“Roll the clip,” he commanded excitedly._

The screen cut to a clip of Jess saving Malcolm and then going after the boy who attacked him. She took him out and then spun backward. Jess had no idea how close that tree was when Trish pushed her out of the way. Jess felt her heart warm and then sink in the same moment. Trish must have known she was likely to die when she jumped to save her. It really was the sweetest and stupidest thing Trish had ever done for her. 

Jess had to look away from the clip as she started to cry. It seemed to sum up Trish perfectly: sweet and stupidly brave. It was everything she loved most about her and all the reasons she wished she hadn’t left her to go on that stage alone. She was too sweet to deserve such a cruel situation and she was only in it because she wanted to help Jess, even though she didn’t need it. 

Jess peered up at the screen again just as the clip minimized to the screen behind them. Trish was also not looking and shaking slightly. 

_“Reaction to that clip, Pasty?” Cesar asked._

"Asshole," Jess groaned. 

_“I just wanted to save her,” Trish said sadly._

_Cesar nodded, seemingly in compassion. “Yes, you and Jessica Jones did your very best to save each other,” he said to her. He turned to the camera. “When we return, the final moments of the games.”_

The screen then cut to clips from that moment forward. Jess and Malcolm lifting the tree off Trish. Two tributes fighting in the acid rain until one gutted the other with a knife. Rapid cuts of everyone either getting poisoned by the thorns or burying in the rain. Then the kiss Trish and Jess shared that night, right before she told her to leave, seemed to play in slow motion. 

That was when it cut back to Cesar and Trish. She was actually looking at the screen behind them. 

_“What do you remember about that moment, Patsy?” Cesar had asked._

_Trish slowly looked from the now blank screen to Cesar. “I told her to go, shortly after that. I thought she would be safer without me around. I didn’t want to her go, but I-I wanted her to live,” Trish admitted with a tearful shrug._

The audience awed. It took Jess out of intensely watching Trish for a moment. 

_Fuck, Hogarth was right._

There couldn’t have been a better tool for the revolution than this. If all those Capital idiots and everyone else throughout the nation realized the Capital and President Snow had done this to Patsy Walker of all people, it would be easy to get them to agree to fight against it. 

_Cinna gave her my jacket on purpose_ , Jess realized shaking her head. _Clever bastard._

_“But, she did leave you eventually?” Cesar asked._

_Trish nodded, tearfully. “She had to. She was going to take out everyone so we could spend the last minutes in the arena together.”_

_“But, she ended up getting herself killed and you succeeded?”_

_Trish fidgeted and nodded. “I don’t know if succeeded is the right word, but I survived.”_

_“And let’s see the footage of that survival, shall we,” Cesar said somberly._

Jess swallowed nervously. The screen cut to Trish sitting alone beside the tree she left her at when she ran after Tattoo Face and the girl from 2. Trish flinched at a noise to her right and pulled the arrow back in the bow. There was nothing there, but she listened intensely. Then Trish twisted and landed on her back beside the tree. She shot her arrow seemingly straight into the air. It clearly hit something and made a sickening noise. Trish lunged out of the way, screaming in pain from moving her leg, as the girl from 2’s lifeless body landed on the ground beside her. She shook and shuttered for a moment and then slowly backed away from her. 

The screen then cut to Jess and Tattoo Face in the middle of their fight. It looked more brutal and violent than Jess thought it would. Tattoo Face fell to the ground and Jess stumbled and then did the same. 

Two canons went off and the footage cut back to Trish. 

_“No, no,” Trish said frantically. “Jess!” she yelled as the Panem anthem started to play._

The screen cut back to Trish sitting pained and broken on the couch, with her eyes diverted away from the screen. She looked on the verge of tears again. Cesar tried to ask her a few more questions but she would only reply with sad nods and weak smiles. 

Jess heard a rustling in the other bed. 

“Why you torturing yourself with this, Jessica?” Luke asked seriously. 

“It’s my fucking fault, Luke,” Jess stated. “I should have to relive all the shit too.” 

He sighed understandingly. 

“And…I just needed to see her,” Jess admitted sadly, almost crying again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess gets her mission from Hogarth and heads out on the road with Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there are probably a lot more Marvel characters that would make more sense beyond the two I include in this chapter but I have never read any of the comic books (actually I've read the first couple Alias books but once Carol was introduced and wasn't as great as Trish I stopped) and the only Marvel things I like as much as the Jessica Jones and Agent Carter characters are the X-Men characters, which I know aren't MCU, but hell I stuck with what I knew. 
> 
> And if you want more of stuff like this and a whole lot of me flipping out about other fictional queer ladies, follow me on tumblr at reviewsbymarika.tumblr.com.

Jess jumped off her bed and tensed as something slammed on the outside of their motel room door. She grabbed for her thigh dagger and then peered around to make sure Trish was OK. She stood still and clenched her fists tightly together. She tried to think of something to calm herself, but she came up empty. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe and reminded herself she was in a motel room with Luke. 

He was gazing at her concerned from his bed. He nodded at the door and raised his eyebrows at her in question. 

She nodded. 

Luke went over slowly. 

The person started banging on the door. “I will stay out here all night if you don’t let me inside, Wendy,” the person slurred loudly. 

Luke sighed and opened the door. 

“Uh, so she went with a man this time? That bitch,” Hogarth slurred as she stumbled into Luke. He pushed her off and closed the door. 

“Wendy that estranged wife of yours?” Luke asked. 

Hogarth stood, perfectly lucid and straightened her coat. “Estranged is a strong word. I saw her early, she is heading back to 6 now.” 

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and peered down at her in concern. 

Hogarth scoffed at him. “I needed a reason to come into a dank motel room in the middle of the night, Mr. Unbreakable. Cheating wife is as good as any.” 

Luke tensed when she called him unbreakable. He peered guiltily over at Jessica. 

“Wait, she knows?” Jess asked, but then shook her head in annoyance. “Why am I even asking? Of course, she fucking knows,” Jess said sounding defeated as she sat down on the edge of her bed. 

“Are you calling that a bad thing, Jessica?” Hogarth questioned with only a hit of compassion as she crossed the room and sat on the bed beside her. 

She took notice of the television, which had changed from the after show to the victor feature, which highlighted the life of the tribute before the arena and their victory. Hogarth glared over at Luke, who was now sitting on his bed, in the darkened room. He shrugged and motioned at Jessica. 

Jess bounced her legs and peered angrily down on at the floor. “How’d you know everything would work?” Jess grumbled. 

Hogarth took a deep breathe. She reached into the bag she had set at her feet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. She pulled off the cap, took a sip and then passed it over to Jessica. She took it and took a rather large sip and passed it back. 

“I believed in you,” Hogarth stated. 

“Shut up,” Jess commanded. 

Hogarth scoffed and shook her head. “You know I have almost missed your bluntness and ignorance.” 

“Luke wasn’t a part of the plan,” Jess stated harshly. 

“I told you you’d have to lay low. Would you have preferred to be traveling around alone as you cried your eyes out in dingy motel rooms to endless hours of Patsy Walker interviews?” 

“That wasn’t what I was doing,” Jess said in her defense. 

Hogarth shrugged and took a drink. “I wouldn’t hold it against you if you were. She is good at getting people emotionally invested.”

“So it was worth it then?” Jess asked, taking the bottle from her. “Breaking Patsy Walker’s heart to enrage the masses.”

Hogarth shook her head. “They aren’t enraged yet. That will not come until Patsy Walker seemingly moves on.” 

Jess looked up at the television. It was just stock footage of District 12. But, Jess was envisioning the image of a broken, tearful Trish as she struggled to say Jess’ name and could barely get herself to talk about what they went through. 

“She isn’t going to move on,” Jess told Hogarth angrily. 

“Oh, I know that,” Hogarth admitted, handing the bottle out to Jess. “But, Patsy Walker is going to. And when the citizens of Panem see her on the Victory Tour looking happy or on their televisions falling for some guy in a movie, they are going to remember that emotional interview,” Hogarth said pointing at the television, “or when they watched you say goodbye to her in the arena and it is going to enrage them.” 

Jess peered at her, taking in what she said. She slowly took a drink of the whiskey and then nodded understandingly. 

“You said this was a trade,” Jess said. “What do I have to do?” 

“Recruit,” Hogarth said simply. 

“Rebels?” Jess asked, handing the bottle back to her. 

Hogarth shook her head as she took a drink. “Others, like yourself to fight with the rebels.” 

Jess sighed loudly as she took the bottle from Hogarth. “You already got the only other one I know.” 

“I am well aware,” Hogarth said with a smirk as she leaned down and pulled a small leather bound notebook from her bag. She held it out to Jessica. “We have been collecting names of possibly gifted people for a few years.” 

Jess took the notebook from Hogarth as she took the bottle from her. Jess started flipping through it. “There are some from every district?” 

Hogarth nodded. She pulled a black case out of the bag. “There are ID cards from every district for the both of you. Each identity has previously worked as a bartender and bouncer, where we have someone in place to say nice things about you.”

Jess nodded. It was all making sense so far. “So, I just locate the people and convince them to fight for the revolution and overthrow the Capital?” Jess questioned in an overly patriotic voice. 

Hogarth sighed. “We have contacts in place in every district that will be assisting you.” 

Jess nodded. 

Then there was a scream on the television that quietly drew in Hogarth and Luke’s attention and made Jess jump and shutter before she peered at it too. The victor feature segment was still playing. The scream was from Trish when she and Jess killed the boy from 2 minutes into the games. 

_“It’s OK. It’s OK. I’ve found you,” Jess said as she hugged Trish tightly against her chest._

Jess felt Hogarth peer over at her. She took a swig from the bottle. “I’ll look after her, Jessica.” 

“You better fucking do more than that,” Jess hissed at her. 

Hogarth nodded. “She will only be home, in her new Victor Village house, for a few months until the tour starts. I will always be next door and then with her every second of the tour and after.” 

Jess peered down at the floor again, thinking of what Trish’s mother was going to do now that she knew about their relationship. “Would you do something for her for me?” Jess asked with a small voice. 

Hogarth nodded, but Jess didn’t look up at her. “If you will help us with recruiting, anything you want.” 

Jess looked up her seriously. “Will you make sure she moves into that new house on her own without her mother?” 

Hogarth peered at her intensely, like Jessica was just confirming something she already knew. Jess peered back with a desperate, nervous look in her eye. 

Hogarth nodded. “I’ll make sure. I’ll scare the bitch into it if I have to.” 

Jess’ eyes widened as she realized Hogarth seemed to know about Trish’s mom too. “I’ve tried that.” 

“I have a lot more power in 12, more than you did,” Hogarth said with a pleased smile. “And so does Trish now.” 

Jess smiled for a moment. “Good.” 

Hogarth stood but stopped before she headed for the door. “I’ll protect her for you, Jessica. I promise.” 

“Thanks,” Jess said with a nod. 

“That bag is for you,” Hogarth said, motioning to the bag beside the bed. “And there is another in there for you,” Hogarth said holding up the whiskey bottle as she headed for the door and left. 

Two weeks later, Jewel Smith and P.J. Connors were manning the door and bar, respectively, at the most popular bar in District 5. 

Their contact nodded as she walked past Jess, who was standing with her arms crossed at the door. 

“ID,” she forcefully asked the tiny girl and the giant man behind her as they approached the door. 

The girl sighed annoyed as she handed her ID over. “We are in here almost every week,” she told Jess. 

_Katherine Anne Pryde, fucking perfect,_ Jess thought excitedly. 

“Sorry, was told to check everyone tonight,” Jess replied with fake politeness. She handed one of her targets her ID back. “Go ahead.” 

The gigantic man held out his ID with a smile. 

_Piotr Rasputin._

Jess nodded to herself and smiled back at him. “Go ahead.” 

“Thanks,” he said as she followed Kitty into the bar. 

Jess watched the two of them until another bouncer come to give her a break. She went straight for the bar and got Luke’s attention. He stood directly in front of her, mixing some kind of whiskey drink to give himself something to do. 

“The tiny girl and the giant in the corner,” Jess told him. “That’s them.” 

He glanced up at them briefly and then nodded. “You got a plan?” he said as he finished mixing the drink and pushed it across the bar to her. 

She took a gulp. “Not yet,” she admitted. “This is good,” she told him as she turned away and headed for the targets’ table with her drink in hand. 

She slid into the seat beside the guy. 

“What are you doing?” the girl asked. 

“That is really up to the two of you,” Jess said as she pulled off her fake glasses and pulled her hood down. She had put a few pink streaks into her hair, from Luke’s suggestions, but for the most part she looked the same as she had when she was on every television in the nation. 

“Oh, shit,” the boy said. “You’re Jessica Jones. But, didn’t you die?” 

“It seemed like it, right?” she smirked at him. “And the two of you are Peter and Kitty and before you freak out,” she said pointedly at Kitty. “I’m not here to hurt you or anything like that.” 

“Then why?” Kitty questioned. 

She took a long drink. “Why do you think?” she asked leaning into the sticky table. “I’ve got gifts, like the two of you.” 

“What are you talking about?” Kitty asked nervously.

Jess actually smiled, remembering when she tried to pull the same trick on Hogarth. She took another long drink of the whiskey thing Luke had made. “You know, kids. I’m trying to get people like us who are willing to stand up against the Capital.” 

“That is treason,” the girl replied. 

“So is speaking ill of the president, Kitty,” Peter replied. “Which you were sure doing a lot of during Patsy Walker’s last interview.” 

Kitty huffed and took a drink of her beer. 

“Stand up how?” Peter asked Jess quietly. 

She smiled at him and then looked across the table to Kitty. She seemed reluctantly but then nodded to her. 

“There is a revolutionary group forming here and in a lot of places throughout the nation,” Jess started to explain. “We’re hoping to end all the fucking bullshit the Capital has been shoving down our throats for years.” 

“You mean, like no more games?” Kitty asked with a hint of amazement. 

“Yeah, like that and a whole lot more shit,” Jess explained. 

Kitty nodded at her instantly. 

“I’m in too,” Peter added. 

“Good,” Jess added with a nod. “I’ll let our people know. And thanks.” 

Jess strode back over to the bar and placed her empty glass in front of Luke. 

“How did it go?” he asked with a huff as he started to refill her glass. 

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Why do you always seem doubtful?” 

He chuckled. “I’m not being doubtful. I’m being realistic.” 

She shook her head at him. 

“They are in,” Jess told him, throwing her arms out to her sides. “I am fucking good.” 

“How much you relaying on your girl though?” Luke asked as she pushed the refilled glass across the bar to her. 

Jess shrugged. “Not as much as I thought I would need to,” Jess admitted as she lifted the glass to her lips she with her right hand and pushed her left hand deep into the pocket of Trish’s blue blazer that had been in the bottom of the bag Hogarth had given her. She had barely taken it off since she found it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica and Luke continue their search for others with powers but Jess encounters something else while in District 11.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer than normal delay. I had to study for a final and then I wrote most of this chapter but then it didn't save. So, I had to rewrite it. I'll try to have the final chapter up tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. And if you'd like to freak out about Jessica and Trish on tumblr you can find me at [reviewsbymarika.tumblr.com](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reviewsbymarika).

Luke jolted awake in bed at the sound of gunshots outside the window. He shook his head as he walked over and peered outside. He nodded to himself in relief when he didn't see anything. He considered closing it for a moment but it was about 100 degrees and their hotel room didn't have any air conditioning. Why anyone would build a hotel without air conditioning in District 11 he had no idea.

This was by far the worst hotel they had stayed in. Their targets were apparently part of some crime ring that would use the hotel sometimes, so the contact got them a room there. Luke didn't really mind and Jessica didn't say a word. But she hadn't been saying a lot lately.

Luke peered through the darkness and saw her bed was empty. The television was on and a muted interview with Patsy Walker was playing. Luke recognized it. He was almost certain he had seen every second of footage about Patsy Walker and her victory in the games in the eight months he had been traveling with Jess.

He had grown into the habit of waking up usually around 4 in the morning. Most of the time he just checked on Jess, to make sure she hadn't run off or something. Sometimes he'd throw a blanket over her. Every so often, he pick her up off the floor and put her into bed. Every time the television would be on and he would see a silent flash of Patsy Walker.

He heard another gunshot and realized the room's other window was open to. He sighed to himself. He walked over and scoffed at the window sill. He carefully stood on it, reached up to grab the edge of the roof and pulled himself up. He crawled to his feet and walked to the other side and sat down.

"You cracked the window sill," Luke said simply to Jess. She was peered out into the dimly light street.

"Don't think they'll notice," she grumbled as she took of a drink out of her whiskey bottle.

He nodded and peered out with her. "Any idea where those gunshots came from?"

Jess huffed annoyed and pointed at a warehouse to the left of their hotel.

"Two drunk idiots are shooting out windows," she grumbled.

"Wouldn't happen to be out targets, would they?" he asked with a joking, hopeful tone.

Jess shock her head. "Nah, I got tabs on them a few days ago. They break away from their work group around midday and head into some field."

"That where we are going to get to them?" Luke asked.

"I was going to tomorrow," she told him.

"Didn't think to ask?"

"For help? I don't need your fucking help, Luke."

He stared at her for a moment. She glared back and then rolled her eyes at him. "Sorry," she huffed.

"There was something new today," Jess admitted after a few minutes of silence. "Somebody at the bar was talking about it. I didn't catch it and they aren't replaying it tonight."

"Well, maybe you'll get lucky tomorrow," Luke offered up in reassurance.

"Maybe," Jess grumbled with little hope. "Depends on long it takes to talk to these kids."

"And I know you don't need my help. But that doesn't mean I don't want to come. Could be fun," Luke said with a smile as he got up and headed back inside.

 _Yeah what fun_ , Jess thought to herself as the two targets bolted across the plowed corps field when they spotted them. Jess and Luke sprinted after them.

When they had almost reached them, the girl on the left shot some kind of red light in front of them. Both girls jumped into it and appeared about 20 feet ahead.

"Whoa!" Luke exclaimed.

"Fucking great," Jess added as they sped up.

These two were the 28th and 29th people with gifts and abilities they had tracked down and tried to recruit to be part of the revolution, which was seeming to be even smaller at this point than Hogarth had lead on.

Luke was still amused and amazed at all the different powers they had come across. Maybe Jess was too, a little, but mostly she was just annoyed at having them used on her from the people who took the most convincing.

Jess was beginning to slow down once she saw they had stop but the first girl shot whatever out of both her hands. The second girl ran at the first. Jess peered at them confused for a moment.

"Shit!" she yelled as the second was directly in front of her. Jess slammed into her and they both fell to the muddy ground. The girl jumped on top of Jess and pinned her down. "Look we aren't here to hurt--"

Jess groaned in pain as the girl placed her hand on her neck and seemed to be draining her or something. "Ah, what the fuck?"

Jess struggled to force her off. The girl flexed her other hand and stared at Jess confused.

"You got power?" she asked.

"No shit, so do you. That's why I'm here," Jess hissed through clenched teeth.

"Ya'll ain't from the Capital?" she asked confused.

"What? No. The opposite. So will you get off," Jess finally forced her off. She fall back into the mud.

Jess stood and coughed as she rubbed her throat where she had been touching her.

"You Clarice?" Jess asked the girl.

"No, Marie," the girl replied. "She's..."

Marie looked over her shoulder and Jess peered over too and sighed. Clarice threw a portal in front of Luke as he charged at her. He appeared in a different part of the field heading away from her.

"Clarice, lay off," Marie called.

Luke shook his head and stumbled. "Thank you," he replied, trying to point at Marie.

"Sorry that happens," Clarice replied as the two of them walked over to Jess and Marie.

"They ain't from the Capital," Marie told her.

"You sure? I've seen her before," Clarice replied, motioning to Jess.

"You have," Jess answered. "But, we aren't here to get you in trouble for stealing food from the Capital trains."

"How do you know about that?" Marie asked.

"We got ways," Luke answered. "And a lot of people who understand what you guys are doing and want you to join our side."

The two teenagers peered at them confused.

A siren sounded back toward town. Jess perked up at it and nearly gasped. She quickly turned back to the girls.

"That your mandatory event siren?" she asked them urgently.

"Yeah," Clarice told her skeptically.

"If ya'll are the opposite of the Capital, why you look so excited about some bullshit Capital event?" Marie asked.

Jess ignored her and peered over at Luke desperately.

"Go," he told her with a nod. "I'll explain the rest."

Jess nodded, turned and sprinted back toward town. She weaved through the plantation the targets worked on and into the more urban part of the main District 11 settlement. She spotted the train tracks and knew the station had to be close.

She peered around herself quickly and when she saw the street was empty, she jumped and fell onto the roof of a six story building across from the train station. She slowly walked to the other side of the roof to get a better look. The square was filled with people and the train was parked in the station.

Some politician looking person was talking into the microphone at the center of the stage and his image was being projected on the two giant screens on both sides. Jess quickly scanned every face on the stage.

_Come on, come on, please._

She was so distracted, nervously peering around the stage she hadn't listened to a word the politician said. Whatever it was it made the audience applaud.

Jess gazed down at them hopefully for a second. Only about half of it sounded like the mandatory, obligatory applause she would have expected.

Then the doors of the train station opened and Jess stood up beside the roof ledge she had been leaning against.

She smiled to herself and gave a small elated laugh. She hadn't missed it.

_Trish._

Trish slowly walked onto the stage with Hogarth and Pam behind her. They hung back as Trish timidly made her way to the microphone. She stood there for a moment, staring at the floor of the stage and standing awkwardly on her right leg more than her left. 

Jess felt like crying or punching a hole through the stone ledge of the roof or jumping down and letting Trish see she was alive. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. She hadn’t seen her in eight months but she had watched countless hours of interviews and was almost certain she had seen every time she had been on television since the games, expect for the special starting the Victory Tour, which she missed the day before. 

Maybe that would have given her a better idea or maybe she was starting to believe the lie. She wasn’t expect Trish to be back to normal, but she also wasn’t expecting her to look mostly as sad, timid and anxious as she did in the last time she saw her in an interview from five months ago. Jess was revolted as she realized the last time she had seen her happy was after she kissed her goodbye in the arena. Jess hoped that wasn’t the last time she actually had been. 

Trish looked up and peered from one fallen tribute platform to the next. Jess took her eyes off her for a moment to look at the screen beside her that cut from Trish to a mother and daughter and the picture of the girl from 11 projected behind them. Jess realized she didn’t even know what her name had been. 

Jess and Trish had the same reactions as Jess saw them on the screen and Trish looked straight at the middle-aged couple and a young skinny boy with crazy hair, who looked so much like the picture of Malcolm projected behind them. 

“Shit,” Jess whispered as her heart sunk. 

She watched a tear slide down Trish’s face. She shook, took a deep breath and mouthed something to herself. She held up the brightly colored note cards and started to read them. 

Jess deflated in sadness. It was the first time she had heard her voice in person in eight months and she barely sounded any different than she did during the first interview after the games. And to make worse, it wasn’t even really her. The words sounded fake and weightless. Jess assumed Pam wrote them. Her voice was wrong too. It wasn’t the voice Jess had been longing to hear. It was her fake voice, her Pasty Walker voice. 

Jess took her eyes off Trish for a moment to glare at Hogarth angrily. She was beginning to wonder why Hogarth and the other higher members of the abysmal revolution insisted she stay dead this long. Jess had thought about reaching out to Finnick or Cinna or Johanna. Hogarth seemed to have her own agenda that wasn’t matching with what Jess had learned about the rest. She had tricked Luke into revealing his powers to her and none of their contacts seemed to know their targets had powers. 

Trish finished and lowered the cards. Jess’ heart jumped. For only a second, Trish looked like herself and a familiar look spread across her face. Jess knew that look. It was the one she wore before she rushed out of that cave to safe Hope, the one she wore the night she bet Luke she could go drink-for-drink with Jess and the one she wore the first time they held hands and walked through District 12. 

“To the families of the fallen tributes,” Trish began. 

Jess almost smiled. That was Trish’s voice. 

“I am sorry that you had to come to this. If I was in your position, I wouldn’t want to see me, ever,” she added with a small shrug. She turned to the girl’s family. “I didn’t know your daughter that well. We only trained together once, but she was kind and she didn’t deserve this.” She took a deep breath and turned to Malcolm’s family. “I didn’t know Malcolm that well either. We were allies but he was Je-Jess, Jessica Jones’ friend.” 

She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes. Jess saw the tears on the screen beside her. 

“I think under different circumstances they could have been very good friends,” Trish said sorrowfully. “Your son was brave and we meet up with him when he showed up to save a girl he didn’t even know. He just hadn’t been able to help anyone else. I’m sorry about what happened to him. I’m sorry that Jess and I…” 

Trish trailed off as her attention was caught by something. Jess was so caught up in what she had been saying, it took her a moment to remember she was really there and this wasn’t a mix between a dream and a late night rerun.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Jess said under her breath as she ducked behind the roof ledge. “Oh shit.” 

_She saw me. She looked right at me._

Jess sat with her back against the ledge, trying to comprehend what she might have just done. Jess heard Trish mutter a few times into the microphone. 

“That is it,” Jess heard Hogarth faintly say, like she was standing too far away from the microphone. 

“We really must be going,” Pam added. 

The crowd started to applause and Jess heard a few people start to chant ‘Patsy.’ 

She slowly peered over the ledge again. Hogarth and Pam were leading Trish back into the train. Jess recognized it. It was the same train they had took to the Capital. Jess stood and assessed the rooftops.

She nodded to herself. 

_I’ll make it._

She sprinted toward the building to the right. She leapt and made it the next rooftop. She made her way around in an L shape on the rooftops, avoiding the dismissing crowd and peacekeeprs on the ground. She landed quietly on a roof of a decommissioned train and slid down to the ground. She run alongside the train until she reached the window that lead to the main room. 

She sighed in relief that it was open. They had opened it whenever they stopped. She stood against the train under the window. 

“What were you thinking?” Jess heard Pam ask in a frustrated voice. 

“I don’t know.” she heard Trish say in a pained, distressed voice. 

“I wrote out the cards for a reason. You were supposed to stick to them to avoid something like this from happening,” Pam added. 

Jess rolled her eyes to herself. She heard Trish scoff. 

“I’m sorry, but you cards didn’t help anything,” Trish shot at her. 

Jess smirked, longing to see the look she knew accompanied Trish’s words. 

“What did happen out there?” Hogarth asked firmly. 

Trish sighed loudly. “I saw her,” she explained passionately. “I thought I saw her. I’ve been seeing her everywhere. I know I’m only imagining it. I just wasn’t expecting it this time and…I’m sorry. I will not let it trip me up again.” 

“You have to let her go, Trish,” Hogarth said compassionately. 

_Fuck you, Hogarth._

Jess stumbled and jumped away from the train as it started to pull away. She jogged alongside it for a moment until the window closed automatically and sealed itself. She stopped. She stood feeling defeated and cruel and watched the train go as it carried Trish away from her once again. 

She kicked the gravel beneath her boots angrily and then headed back to her hotel room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting a surprise visitor in District 3, Jessica and Luke make their way to the Capital so Jess can reunite with Trish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone. Follow me on tumblr at [reviewsbymarika.tumblr.com](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reviewsbymarika)

Jessica peered through the open door of an average District 3 bar into the humid street outside. It was barely the afternoon and things had slowed down after the strange mid-morning rush. She was a little disgusted at how many people came to celebrate after the Reaping for the next games. Trish’s Victory Tour had wrapped up a few weeks ago and now the next games were about to begin again. Jess had watched all the cover but she hadn’t got a real glimpse of Trish since she ducked away from her gaze on a rooftop three months ago. 

“Hey, Jewel,” her boss said as he hit her on the arm. “You can go home,” he told her. 

She nodded as she walked away from the front door and over to the bar. Luke set a drink in front of her with a smile. This was the longest they had stayed and worked in one place. They had made it through all the names on Hogarth’s list almost two months ago. There were 38 in total and 29 had agreed to fight for the revolution, if it ever came about. They hadn’t heard any word, so they were just waiting. 

“Did something big happen?” Jess said motioning to the television behind him that was playing coverage of the Reapings. 

He looked over his shoulder and shrugged. “Not sure. I didn’t get a chance to see much,” he told her. “There were a few volunteers but I think they were all from the career districts. I didn’t get to see the 12 footage.” 

Jess nodded sadly as she took a sip of her drink. “They’ll replay it. 

She noticed a woman down the bar shaking her head and laughing as she peered down at her drink. “Hoping to catch a glimpse of your sweetheart?”

Jess glared at her, feeling like she recognized her. Luke looked from her to Jess and raised his eyebrows. Jess shook her head at him. 

“That is pathetic,” Johanna added as she lifted her head and smirked at Jess. 

Jess scoffed at her. “So, is that outfit,” she said motioning at her District 3 factory jumpsuit that looked about two sizes too small. “What are you a ‘sexy’ factory worker?” 

She laughed. “Well your name seems to indicate you took up stripping since I saw you last.” 

Jess smirked at her. As picked up her drink and moved to the stool beside her. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on a train with your tributes?” 

She shrugged as she finished her drink. “The other victors are taking care of it and I’m meeting them later.” 

Luke came by to refill her drink. Johanna waited until he walked away. 

“Hogarth wanted to send someone she thought you would trust,” Johanna said. 

“And that is you?” Jess questioned. 

“Well, she couldn’t really send Mr. Glamour into a shady bar looking for a dead woman.” 

Jess groaned. “What does Hogarth want?” 

“You’re actually going to like this one,” Johanna told her. 

“Yeah, I doubt that,” Jess replied angrily, taking a drink. 

Johanna shook her head. “Maybe they did keep you dead too long.” 

“What?” Jess asked confused. 

“You don’t even have an ounce of optimism left,” she pointed out. 

“Yeah, well why should I?” Jess grumbled at her. 

Johanna pulled a card from her pocket and dropped it on the bar in front of Jess. Jess picked it up and peered at it confused. It was an address. 

“That is for her Capital apartment. She’s going to be there for the next two weeks. You two should pay more attention. A lot is happening and it’s enough for you to resurface,” Johanna told her. She downed her drink, stood and patted her on the back. “Don’t get caught.” 

Johanna walked away and out of the bar. 

Jess starred at the address card in amazement. After 11 months of hiding and running, it was suddenly that easy. She knew where Trish was and she just had to get to her. She peered up and found Luke gazing at her with a cocked eyebrow. 

“It’s over. I can go to her,” Jess said slowly, barely believing her own words. 

“I get off in an hour,” Luke said with a smile. 

Jess nodded and starred at the address again. “Yeah, good. We can go then. I’ll go pack up the room.” 

Six and a half hours later, the sun was setting as Luke drove his motorcycle down a nearly empty street in the outskirts of the Capital. Jess was watching it grow closer over Luke’s shoulder. She glanced off to the side for a moment and hit him on the shoulder as her heart jump and she almost smiled. 

“Stop,” she instructed him. 

“What? Why?” he asked. 

“Stop,” she repeated. 

When he didn’t, she launched herself off and landed in the middle of the road way. Luke swerved for a moment and then screeched his bike a stop. 

“Sweet Christmas, Jessica,” he exclaimed. “What is it?” 

She ignored him. She knew she saw her. There was a video billboard on top of a building on the side of the road. 

“What?” he asked as she stood beside her. 

“The billboard,” Jess told him. “Let it loop back around.” 

Bold gold letters flashed onto a black screen. “The action hit of the summer”, it read. Then it quickly cut to different shots of people running and explosions in what looked like a war zone. It cut to black then flashed “staring” in gold letters, the letters then morphed to spell out “Patsy Walker”. It cut to black for a moment and then Trish slowly turned toward the camera and away from what looked like a crashed helicopter behind her. She was breathing heavily and her face was streaked with dirt and blood. 

It then cut to the second star who was firing a machine gun but Jess didn’t know he was or maybe she did but she was too excited and happy to care about him. Trish looked awesome and Jess knew Trish had separated herself from her mother and was making her own choices. Her mother would never let her been in a movie like that. Pasty was supposed to be a traditional, love interest, who was mostly there to be nice, pretty and impossibly thin. 

It cut to black again and flashed “and Finnick Odar.” There was a second of black and then Finnick jumped off a tank, front flipped and then stabbed a guy in the chest with a trident-looking weapon. It cut to black again and then flashed “director Cressida Tyleyn and Capital Pictures present: _Together We Stand_. Coming soon.” 

“She did it,” Jess stated happily as she continued to gaze up at the billboard. 

“What? Got a role in an action movie?” Luke asked confused. 

Jess shook her head. “Saved herself.” Jess stood there to watch it play one more time and then headed back to the motorcycle with Luke. 

About an hour later, Luke slowed his motorcycle to a stop on the side of a normal looking Capital street. 

“It is saying this is it,” he said, peering from his navigation screen on the bike to the fancy apartment building beside them. 

Jess gazed up at it. She got off the bike and handed the helmet to Luke. “I’ll have to climb up, so nobody sees me.”

He smiled at her. “I’ll be at the hotel, but I’m hoping I don’t see you tonight.” 

Jess gave a small nod. He drove off. 

Jess pulled up the hood of her grey jacket from under her black motorcycle jacket and walked into the alley between Trish’s building and the next. She huffed at the wall for a moment. 

She was so close and it had been so long, she was beginning to get a bit nervous. She had lied to Trish their last night together, the entire time in the arena and the 11 months since then. All her lying had left her alone, facing being a victor, that fucking after show interview, the months of coverage and the victory tour. And the whole time, she thought Jess was dead. Now, she was just going to show up and hope for the best. 

She jumped and caught the railing of the fire escape on the fifth floor. Trish’s apartment was on the tenth, with a balcony facing the street, according to Johanna’s note. She started scaling the building and climbed around to the front. She pulled herself onto the balcony facing the street on the tenth floor. 

She pulled her hood down and stood still as she peered through the glass doors into the spotless, perfectly decorated apartment. Her eyes were instantly drawn across the living room and into the kitchen. Trish was sitting on a stool at the counter, leaning forward and reading over what looked like a script. 

Jess smiled in a mixture of relief and overflowing emotions. She looked happy and normal, not anything like the scarred, sad version of her she glimpsed in District 11 three months ago. She looked like the girl she left sitting against a tree in the arena, the girl she had fallen in love with but only had the courage to tell once. 

Trish tensed like she felt eyes on her and peered up from her script. She peered across her living room, through her balcony doors and straight at Jess. Jess took a deep breath and just stood there with her hands in her jacket pockets. She didn’t know what do or how Trish would react. 

Trish slowly sat up straight on her stool. She continued to gaze at Jess in amazement and confusion as she hopped off the stool, landing on her right leg and then slowly lowered her left. She walked out from behind the counter with a slight limp. 

Jess looked down at the white brace that covered her entire knee and ran down the sides of her once shattered leg and around her ankle. It was giving off blue light whenever it touched her skin, like Jess thought it had. Jess curled her shoulders and bit her lip nervously as she watched her limp over, remembering the panicked moments in the arena after Trish nearly got herself killed to save her and later that same night told her to leave to save herself. 

When Jess looked up tearfully at Trish, she was standing only feet away from the glass with the same look of amazement and confusion. She made it to the door, grasped the handle and slowly slid the door open. 

She didn’t say anything for a moment and Jess fidgeted as Trish kept gazing at her with the same look. 

“This can’t be real,” Trish finally said in disbelief. “You are actually here this time.” 

Jess nodded and shrugged. 

Trish laughed at her and shook her head amused. She walked over to Jess until she was close enough to touch her. She placed her hands on Jess shoulders and then slowly ran then down her arms. Jess pulled her hands out of her pockets and took Trish’s hands in hers when they met. Trish peered down at their hands for a moment. Jess met her eyes when she eventually looked up at her. 

For a moment, Trish’s slow breathing seemed to be the only sound in the entire city. She leaned forward like she might kiss her but stopped a few inches away. Jess felt like she had been asleep for all the time they had been apart and now she was finally awake again. It all come rushing back to her. How just being around Trish made her feel warm and special and cared about. 

“You didn’t die,” Trish said. It started as a question but ended as a statement. 

“I didn’t. I faked it,” Jess admitted. 

Trish leaned her forehead against Jess’. She had to close her eyes for a second to focus enough to keep her heart from exploding. 

“Part of me knew,” Trish replied. “Not at the beginning but later.” 

“Really?” Jess asked with a sigh of relief. 

“You said that it wasn’t the end, that it wasn’t goodbye,” Trish answered. “I would say that to myself sometimes, just to remind myself.” 

“I wanted to tell you,” Jess admitted softly. “Hogarth said that I couldn’t then and then made me—“

“Jess,” Trish said directly as she reached up to touch her neck. 

“Yeah?” 

“We’ll talk later,” Trish said with a smile that stayed on her lips as she leaned in the rest of the way to kiss her.

Jess hadn’t forgotten what kissing Trish felt like but her memory did not in any way compare to the real thing. Trish pressed her lips harder against Jess and she moved backwards until her back hit the brick wall of the balcony. Trish moved closer to her until every inch of them that could be touching was. Jess slowly ran her hands up Trish’s back as she ran her hands through her hair. Jess had to pull back for a split second to breath. 

“Yeah, talking later is good. This swank ass place have a bed?” Jess asked. 

Trish smiled widely. She took Jess’ hand and pulled her into the apartment, through the living room and back into the bedroom. Though it only took a few seconds, it was too long for Jess to not be touching her so Trish kissed her again as soon as they reached the foot of her bed. 

Eventually, Trish pushed Jess onto the bed and they continued until they exhausted themselves and Trish fell asleep with her arms around Jess still astounded that she was really there. 

“You know I love you, right? I know I only said it once but I meant it,” Jess admitted just before she had fallen asleep. 

“I know,” Trish replied happily as she leaned over to kiss her lightly on the forehead. “I love you too.” 

Jess groaned as the sunlight hit her face and woke her the next morning. She turned away from the window and moved closer to Trish. She was sitting up with her back against the headboard, reading something off her tablet. 

“You haven’t been sleeping a lot, have you?” Trish asked her compassionately, as she lightly brushed her hair off her eyes. 

Jess rested her head on Trish’s side. “You a mind reader now?” 

Trish sighed with fake annoyance. “You sleep like you’ve been flattened into you mattress when you finally do. You would do it a home a lot.” 

“You used to watch me sleep? Creeper.” 

Trish laughed. Jess smiled pleased. 

“What are you doing?’ Jess asked. 

Trish tilted the tablet down. “Memorizing lines. There is going to be a sequel to this action movie I just wrapped filming on.” 

“ _Together we fight_?” Jess asked. “I saw a billboard.” 

Trish nodded. “The director is great. I think she is part of the revolution too. The movie seems like normal Capital propaganda but it’s more than that,” she explained happily. “Also, she has me doing this crazy weight training workout.” 

“Yeah, I noticed,” Jess said excitedly. 

“Oh, who’s the creeper now?” Trish joked. 

“Like you mind,” Jess shot back as she scooted up, so she could reach her lips and kiss her. 

Trish tablet dinged loudly and vibrated. Jess jumped slightly. Trish groaned as she broke away from Jess and reached for it. 

“Sorry, the mentors get sent all the new footage of tributes as soon as it comes out,” Trish explained. 

Jess settled in against the pillows and leaned into Trish. “Did you get out of it somehow? Nobody mentioned seeing you in the Reaping footage.” 

Trish shook her head. “I’m filming six movies this year, so I’m allowed to get out of it.” 

“Damn.” 

“Wait, you haven’t seen the Reaping footage?” Trish asked. 

Jess shook her head. “A bit in a bar in District 3 but it wasn’t about 12.” 

Trish started scrolling through her tablet enthusiastically. 

“Did something happen in 12? Johanna was being super fucking vague,” Jess commented. 

Trish raised an eyebrow at her. “Johanna? Never mind, just watch this,” Trish told her as she held the tablet in front of both of them. 

Jess watched Pam pulled a name from the bowl of girls’ names and walk over to the microphone. 

_“Primrose Everdeen,” she called out over the square._

“Everdeen? Why does that sound familiar?” Jess asked Trish. 

“They’re from the Seam and her sister was a few years below us,” Trish asked. 

The video switched to a horrified looking girl starting to walk up to the stage, then an older girl, who Jess vaguely recognized from school, started shouting her name and following her. Peacekeepers tried to push her back, but she fought them off and screamed that she would volunteer. 

“Oh shit,” Jess stated. 

Trish nodded in understandingly. 

The two sisters had a frantic conversation, until a tall boy had to come and carry the younger one away. The older girl headed for the stage. 

“Her name is Katniss,” Trish informed Jess as she left the video playing but lowered the tablet to her lap. “Everyone wants to use her for the revolution.” 

Jess fidgeted uncomfortably for a second. Trish grabbed her hand. “How much do you know about it?” 

Trish shrugged. “I don’t know when everything is going to happen, but it seems like a lot of people are involved.” 

“Maybe here, but not out in the districts,” Jess countered. “I think Hogarth might have been playing me so I would agree to help her out.” 

“Help her?” Trish asked with a smile. 

“Fine,” Jess grumbled. “To help you. I’ve been tracking down other people with powers who are willing to fight if something happens.” 

“That is good, right?” Trish asked optimistically. “To have more strength on our side.” 

“Aren’t you mad?” Jess questioned. “Hogarth used me, but what she did to you, what we did to you. Everyone was lying to you for months.” 

Trish shook her head. “Maybe I’m a little mad, but I understand the reasoning and I have you back now. I’m not saying I would do it over again, but if this revolution does ever come along it probably helped.” 

Jess gave her a small smile and leaned in to kiss her. She should have known she would look at the good in what she had been through and just be happy they were together again. 

Jess looked down at the tablet and watched the girl stand anxiously beside Pam with tears in her eyes. 

“She would be perfect,” Trish stated with a hint of sadness. 

“How’s she any different than you?” Jess asked. “You volunteered too.” 

Trish shook her head. “I’m not District 12 enough.” 

“What?” Jess said raising an eyebrow at her. “You’re basically the face of 12.” 

Trish smiled at her. “I’m the Capital face of 12. This girl,” Trish said with a sigh as she held up the tablet again. “She is the real District 12. She is someone the average person could get behind.” 

Jess peered down at the girl as she awkwardly shook hands with the terrified looking blonde boy who had joined her on the stage. 

“I hope Hogarth and the others don’t destroy her,” Jess stated heavily. 

“We could help her with that,” Trish said with a happy smile and that brave look in her eye. 

Jess smiled at her. She had waited so long to see that combination on Trish’s face again. “You have to be the hero.” 

“Well, you know who I learned it from,” Trish said with another smile as she leaned in and kissed her.


End file.
